Richmond magazine - May 2024

MEET THE IVY women’s soccer squad

SALLY BELL’S 100 years of baked goods and boxed lunches

EASY A-Z GUIDE to 2024’s new laws

SUMMER ARTS PLANNER

YOUR GUIDE TO RVA’S HOTTEST OUTDOOR EVENTS

SCULPTED CABLE COLLECTION

WAY MORE THAN CRAB

Paula Peters Chambers

DEPARTMENTS

UPFRONT

14 From the Editor + Contributors

17 From the Publisher

LOCAL

20 LAW ENFORCEMENT Henrico police scale back nonemergency responses

22 HISTORY Marking Chesterfield County’s 275th anniversary

24 BUSINESS Locally owned boutique play spaces appeal to families

28 LEGISLATION The ABCs of the 2024 General Assembly session

32 FLASHBACK Flipping through the diary of a local film critic

128 PARTING SHOT A celestial meeting leads to a terrestrial gathering

A&E

36 DATEBOOK Fourth Fridays, kickin’ concerts, “Kountry” comedy, Broadway in Richmond’s “Beetlejuice” and more

38 SPECIAL EVENTS Four ways to honor Mother’s Day

39 HAPPENINGS 24 things to do this month

40 PROFILE After amassing internet fame, a local cop and minister is ready for round two

42 SPOTLIGHT A new photography exhibition highlights the impact of Rosenwald Schools

44 SPOTLIGHT Rapper Mad Skillz adds filmmaking to his resume

LIVING

52 SHOP TALK A Cary Street resource for custom crafters

54 GIVING BACK Volunteer gardeners are helping Richmond grow

56 ENCORE An updated plan for dementia care

58 FAMILY Tips for protecting teens from fraud

EAT & DRINK

112 PROFILE Family-owned Agriberry Farm carves out a juicy niche

114 AROUND TOWN Best bites, events and a comfort food favorite

116 SPOTLIGHT Helen Holmes is the friendly force behind Ms. Girlee’s Kitchen

118 Q&A Ryan Harris’s rainbow hair and smile make the longtime server instantly recognizable

120 5 FAVES Tasting a passel of pound cakes

120 OPEN TAB Behind the bar at Patrick Henry’s Pub & Grille

121 PURVEYOR The owner of Essential RVA Microgreens explains his sprout snips

122 INSIDER The Latino Farmers Market debuts in Chesterfield

ONLINE

As Chesterfield County celebrates its 275th anniversary, learn more about the Earl of Chesterfield, the county’s namesake, at richmondmag.com/stanhope.

60 TRAVEL Old Town Alexandria celebrates 275 years

62 FITNESS Laughter yoga can be humorous and healing

Illustration by Victoria Borges

MISSION:

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER: Richard Malkman

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Mindy Kinsey

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Justin Vaughan

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Nicole Cohen

SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR: Claire Fortier

COPY EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Tharon Giddens

LIFESTYLE EDITOR: Kevin Johnson

SENIOR WRITER: Harry Kollatz Jr.

ONLINE EDITOR: Mandy Loy

FOOD EDITOR: Eileen Mellon

R•HOME MANAGING EDITOR: Susan W. Morgan

NEWS EDITOR: Mark Newton

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Haley Bartel, Amy Carleton, Paula Peters Chambers, Adam Cheek, Bird Cox, Stephanie Ganz, Don Harrison, Davy Jones, Rachel Kester, Laura Anders Lee, Gray Pershing, D. Hunter Reardon, Matthew Sporn, Genevelyn Steele, Christine Winder

EDITORIAL INTERNS: Parker Barnes, Solace Church, Anja Hemesath, Pearl Lee, Lambrini Phillos, Kendall Taylor

ART DIRECTORS:

Rachel Lee, Heather Palmateer

ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: Kyle Talley

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Phong Nguyen

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER: Sarah Barton

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Jay Paul

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS:

Justin Chesney, Ash Daniel, Morgan Edwards

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS:

Karly Andersen, Tequitia Andrews, Victoria Borges

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Martha Hebert

PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGER: Scott Bunce

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, SUBSCRIPTIONS AND CLIENT RELATIONS: R.J. Landin

SUBSCRIPTIONS ASSOCIATE: David Ballowe

VICE PRESIDENT/CONTROLLER: Elisa Malkman

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING

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EDITOR

MINDY KINSEY

THE GUIDE TO SUMMER

In recent years, I’ve spent the spring collecting email and social media notices of summer events, blinked ... and then somehow it was September. Sure, I made it to a couple outdoor concerts and some Shakespeare along the way, but with all the festivals, fairs, shows, tours, hikes, matches, markets, patios and rooftops to enjoy in Richmond, I missed more than I hit. Next year, I always promise myself, things will be different. Next year, I’ll have a plan.

This year, thanks to Arts & Entertainment Editor Nicole Cohen and her team of freelance writer-researchers, not only do I have a plan, I have a planner crammed with four months of Richmond’s ho est outdoor concerts, festi-

vals and fetes — plus reminders to pick up tickets for my favorite fall series as well. Nicole pored over press releases and public notices, reached out to local arts orgs and shaped the data into a useful calendar that will ensure fall regrets are a thing of the past. Our Summer Arts Planner starts on Page 65.

Speaking of summer activities, sports fans have a new reason to visit City Stadium in the months ahead: the Richmond Ivy. The women’s soccer team is part of the Kickers organization and features top collegiate athletes, many of whom grew up playing for the Strikers or Richmond United. Paula Peters Chambers introduces the team on Page 82. Games start May 11.

In addition to events, I like to note

Paula Peters Chambers Freelance writer Paula Peters Chambers wants every interview to feel like a conversation and every story to bring something new to the reader. She enjoys writing on a wide swath of topics — the more diverse, the better. A regular contributor to Richmond Magazine, R•Home and Richmond Bride, she lives in Henrico County. In this issue, Chambers introduces Richmond’s new women’s soccer team (Page 82).

Christine Winder

Richmond

native Christine Winder is a freelance writer who covers lifestyle, wellness, career and finance topics for several local and national publications. When she’s not writing, you can find her snuggling her two cats, brainstorming her next story and searching for the best pizza in the city. Winder wrote this issue’s travel story (Page 60) and contributed to the summer arts coverage (Page 65).

restaurant recommendations in my personal planner. As Eileen Mellon reports on Page 76, one of the oldest of Richmond’s venerable dining institutions, Sally Bell’s Kitchen, is celebrating its centennial. Beloved for its scratchmade boxed lunches and baked goods, Sally Bell’s is bringing back a few classic items to honor the anniversary, including cinnamon buns, cookies and muffins, making it a must for summer picnics and parties.

Also in this issue, we offer an A-to-Z guide to the new laws coming out of the latest General Assembly session, meet volunteers working at Richmond’s gardens, learn why teens are falling for scams (and how to help), discover laughter yoga and so much more. Enjoy! R

Rachel Kester

A freelance writer based in Chesterfield, Rachel Kester covers topics ranging from the environment to culture for a variety of publications. When not writing, she can be found tending to her garden, exploring local farmers markets or devouring a mystery novel. Kester’s story about garden volunteers is on Page 54.

Tequitia Andrews

Tequitia Andrews is an artist and illustrator from Richmond. She has illustrated several children’s books, greeting cards, magazines and products. Andrews illustrated the chef Spotlight on Page 116. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading romantasy, watching British mysteries and playing lots of solitaire.

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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINES

Iused to collect movies on VHS tapes and music on casse es and eight-track tapes. I never watched a live movie because I prerecorded them and played them back later. I listened to my music in my car loud enough to make the guy next to me roll up his windows and pull over until I passed. I loved my music loud, and I felt the same way about my movies — the more car explosions, the better. But then the technology changed, and my collections were replaced with more technically advanced music machines and DVDs.

So, what does a guy do with 500 VHS tapes and 100 music casse es?

The library doesn’t want them. The formats don’t exist anymore, and their replacements are on their way out now, too. It looks like I am stuck with streaming. If only I could remember my passwords.

These days, I save my movie streaming choices to a playlist on my TV, hidden from everyone except me. As I get older, though, I find that I don’t have the time to watch my shows. The format may have changed, but the results are the same as years ago, when I would tape shows and save them, then try to find the time to watch them while raising two daughters. Today, I have more time, but with hundreds of

choices available on streaming, I still only manage to save shows; I never get a chance to watch them. I seem to spend my viewing time searching through my cable channels for a great movie rather than actually choosing one to watch. So many choices and never any time.

I recently found those old VHS tapes in a closet, which brought back so many memories. I was always shopping around for a VHS bargain because I wanted to collect all the new movies.

My life has become an O. Henry story: I have movies on VHS tapes but don’t have a VCR to play them on.”

I remember thinking that $50 per tape was a great price … until I found them for $10 each. These days, I have plenty of tapes, but my life has become an O. Henry story: I have movies on VHS tapes but don’t have a VCR to play them on.

I have the same problem with my cassette collection. The taped versions were replaced by CDs, which in turn have been replaced by streaming services, which refuse to play specific songs even when I know the password. I discarded my players as they broke, and cars no longer come with casse e or CD players, so it’s hard to listen to my favorite songs when I want because I’m stuck with the format of my collection. The only thing le for me to listen to are my albums. If only I could remember where I stored the turntable … R

MAY

12th, 2024

LOCAL

Henrico police change how they respond to nonemergencies P. 20

Chesterfield County plans its 275th birthday celebration P. 22

Edited by MARK NEWTON

The ABCs of new laws taking effect

Flashback: Diary entries capture a local film critic’s colorful life P. 32

REEVALUATED RESPONSES

Henrico police scale back response to nonemergency 911 calls

Plans to change how Henrico County responds to nonemergency situations resulted in confusion and apologies in late March.

The Division of Police will no longer send patrol officers to address panhandlers, general noise complaints or the discipline of children. Callers will be referred to another part of the division in these and other cases “where there is no legal authority for police to be present or a violation of law,” explains a document outlining the changes. For example, claims of marijuana use will be assigned to Crime Stoppers, and the division’s Community Policing members

will handle abandoned vehicles and recovered bicycles.

The changes would free up the county’s more than 700 officers to respond “in a more efficient and timely manner,” Chief Eric D. English said in a YouTube video posted in March. He estimated that the move would result in “nearly 5,000” fewer calls for service out of about 139,000 calls annually. According to the proposed county budget for fiscal year 2025, the changes will provide officers with more time to focus on serious offenses including homicides, assaults and robberies.

The division’s post on Facebook regarding the changes was met largely

CALLS FOR SERVICE (2018 - 23)

with anger and frustration. The next day, the division posted a new video to “apologize for the confusion and misunderstanding with these changes.” In it, English reiterates that “each call will be assessed on a call-by-call basis and emergency services will still be provided as needed.” The clarification didn’t convince some of the same commenters.

The division points residents to its Telephone Reporting Unit at 804-5014810 for a range of nonemergency calls for service, and the division says it is planning to create an online reporting tool.

“Since the publication of this community guide,” reads a division statement emailed in April, “we’ve heard from community members saying they now be er understand these changes and support them. Of course, with any sort of change, there are still some community members who feel we should be using patrol units to respond to some of these calls for service. At this time, it’s still too early to quantifiably tell if these changes are making a significant difference for our patrol units.”

The proposed county budget would increase annual funding for the division by 7.5% to $107 million. The Department of Emergency Communications was spun off from the police division in the 2024 budget and handled 528,189 incoming and outgoing calls in that fiscal year. In 2025, $10.5 million is allo ed to it, a 17.2% increase.

NUMBER OF CALLS

Meanwhile, in neighboring Chesterfield County, its police department says no changes are being made. “If you request our assistance, we are going to send help to you in the same manner we always have,” now-retired Chief Jeffrey S. Katz wrote in a post on Facebook. “So there is no confusion, we are open for business!”

Mark Newton

SOURCE: Henrico County Division of Police

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CHESTERFIELD MARKS 275TH

County’s birthday celebration coincides with Memorial Day events

By Harry Kollatz Jr.

Knowing history is akin to possessing X-ray vision: The more you understand of what’s around you, the more you can peer into the layers of the past and how they relate to the present. This is well comprehended by Bryan Truzzie, historic sites supervisor for Chesterfield County’s Parks and Recreation Department.

He and a committee of 20, among other community partners, are embarking on a yearlong recognition of the county’s 275th anniversary.

“Something of this magnitude hasn’t been done since 1999, and it’s an important milestone in the county’s history,” he explains. “The majority of the public isn’t aware of the many levels of history here, and so our commi ee has taken these steps to highlight and promote them.”

Truzzie, now in his 18th year with Chesterfield, is responsible for interpreting all the county’s historic sites — except Henricus — which entails a variety of speaking engagements, tours, special events and collaborations with historical foundations.

Conducting a series of events commemorating Chesterfield's 275th is important in no small part due to the number of recent arrivals who may have li le idea how o en the county found itself amid the crosscurrents of history, from the Falling Creek Ironworks to coal mining, the Revolutionary War, Patrick Henry’s defense of the “New Light” ministers, the Civil War and the socio-cultural changes wrought by the la er 19th century and into the 20th.

One way to promote history is through welcoming visitors to historic places, which can benefit other sites.

Such was the case on April 27, a day

of cra s, plants and baked goods sponsored by the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia held at the state and nationally landmarked Castlewood. But another major reason for the occasion was to raise awareness and funds for the residence at Historic Point of Rocks.

“We want to return the house as much as we can to its original appearance and put in exhibits and displays that illuminate the several phases of history there: Native American and Colonial, the Civil War and a erward,” Truzzie explains. “We want to make the place more accessible and put in a parking area and open it up to events.”

The celebration continues, and in a big way, at the 1768 Eppington house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 4, with a full roster of events. Besides tours of the house and grounds, Truzzie says, “this event is going to showcase a variety of history, with living history, first-person historical interpretation, trades, period music, carriage rides and family activities.”

The Memorial Day weekend also is packed with festivities, beginning 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 24, with music and exhibitions on the Courthouse Green. Events from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 25 at the 1917 courthouse will focus on the county’s Revolutionary War period.

From 6 to 9 p.m. on May 25, the celebration moves to the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds. This will include a concert of patriotic music by the Chesterfield Concert Band and the Virginia State University Marching Band, carriage rides, period children’s activities, storytelling and music. This will culminate in a fireworks display. For the holiday’s conclusion, starting at 2 p.m. May 26, a full Memorial Day program is planned at the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds.

All this is to say there’s more to Chesterfield than you may think — and that there’s 275 years’ worth. R

To learn about Chesterfield's namesake, visit richmondmag.com/stanhope.

Historical interpreters will bring Chester eld County history to life at the May 4 celebration at Eppington.

CHILD’S PLAY

Locally owned boutique play spaces appeal to kids and their parents

By Laura Anders Lee

When Brittany Schmid moved to Atlanta a few years ago, she was looking for a way she and her baby could get out of the house for some stimulation and social interaction.

“I’d find something in a church basement or a forgo en corner of a library, but nothing that felt like ‘me,’” she recalls. “I wanted a space that was elevated where we could make friends.”

Schmid commiserated on the phone with her best friend, Katy Doar, who was going through something similar in New York. “What we were looking for just didn’t exist, so we decided we should do something ourselves,” she says.

So in 2019, they opened The Bunny Hive, a social club for children and their caregivers. The concept was such a hit in Atlanta that when Schmid moved home to Richmond during the pandemic, she opened a location at Libbie and Grove avenues.

Chelsea Bre her has been coming to The Bunny Hive in Richmond since her daughter was 2 months old. “Music class was her favorite when she was that small and we’ve done everything since,” she says. “Having something to get us out the door that allows her to play with other babies has been so helpful. She recognizes everyone now.”

The Bunny Hive’s Richmond location

and its first in Atlanta both have around 350 members, and anyone is welcome on a drop-in basis. Classes, like sensory play, ballet and massages, are offered six days a week for babies through kindergarteners. Membership options range from three classes a month for $45 or unlimited for $120.

Both studios are doing so well, Schmid and Doar are franchising: The Bunny Hive is on track to open 24 locations this year in markets including Baltimore, Raleigh, Nashville and Orlando. Schmid adds that creating a business model that appeals to mothers was also important to her. “Owning a franchise of The Bunny Hive gives moms a chance to have a career while still being with their children,” she says.

“All of the women we’ve signed as franchisees are incredible and come

The Bunny Hive

Sunshine Play Cafe

from great, diverse backgrounds,” Schmid continues. “But what ties us all together is that we have young kids and see a need to help parents find connection and community.”

Like Schmid, Midlothian dad Dan Jenkins was also looking for an interactive space for his son and decided to open his own play place for kids.

“My wife and I have a 3-year-old and by the third day of rain in the middle of winter, our li le one was starting to go crazy because we hadn’t le the house,” Jenkins recalls. “We were looking for a good option for him that wasn’t the same old place or wasn’t too crowded.”

Jenkins took advantage of vacant retail space at Stony Point Fashion Park to create Sunshine Play Cafe. The indoor playground was completed in December and the cafe is slated to open this spring. He designed many of the playcenters based on ideas from his wife and son.

“Depending on the day or his energy

What we were looking for just didn’t exist, so we decided we should do something ourselves.”

Bri any Schmid, co-founder of e Bunny Hive

level, our son might play with one thing for 45 minutes or he might play with eight things over the course of 10 minutes,” Jenkins says. “My goal was to entertain kids with independent play stations they could do by themselves as well as have areas they could engage together.”

The 2,000-square-foot space designed for infants and kids up to 5 years old includes a trampoline, model kitchen and grocery store, baby area, interactive

Supporting the Arts

Richmond for thirty five years

When I moved to Richmond and began supporting the local arts, the Nickel Bridge was a dime, VMFA hosted “Jumpin’ in July”, walking through the Fan you could smell cookies baking from FFV, a drive to the far West End meant going out to Parham Road, the Visual Arts Center was The Hand Workshop, and Joe’s Inn... was exactly as it is today.

Supporting the Arts... yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

touchscreens, games, Legos, tunnels and Jenkins’ favorite, a slide into a ball pit. A two-hour play session costs $20 for the first child and $10 for another.

Jenkins says when places are too busy, his son tends to shut down and disengage, so he limits the number of reservations to 15 kids for a two-hour period of play. He says this controlled se ing has also been helpful for families with children on the autism spectrum or different behavioral needs.

T his month, Jenkins will open the cafe next door, featuring coffees, smoothies and acai bowls. Having been in the wellness business for nine years operating Transition Sports Studios, he says opening a center for families was a natural evolution.

“Helping kids is way more fun,” he says. “The concept has been wellreceived and is growing organically. Customers are really enjoying it, and children are having a blast.” R

COMING SOON

NEW LAWS BY THE LETTER

Get to know the ABCs of the 2024 General Assembly session

By Mark Newton

Gov. Glenn Youngkin has signed 778 bills from the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly and vetoed 153, more bills than in the 2017 to 2023 sessions combined. Legislators reconvened April 17 to consider Youngkin’s amendments and vetoes. All new laws, unless otherwise noted, go into effect July 1.

ANIMAL CRUELTY

Judges may bar individuals convicted of felony cruelty to animals from possessing or owning companion or equine animals for life. Those convicted of a misdemeanor can receive a prohibition of up to five years. Another law prohibits the use of pain-inflicting tools to train or control elephants, while another outlaws cat declawing.

BOOZE ON THE GO

Pandemic-era rules that allowed to-go sales of mixed beverages

and pre-mixed wine are now permanent. The changes for distillers, licensed restaurants and farm wineries were set to expire in July. The law also eliminates third-party delivery licenses, which were added in 2022 and required delivery personnel to pass an alcohol delivery safety and responsibility training course. The law further directs state alcohol officials to study the issue and ways to better prevent underage drinking.

CORRECTIONS CANINES

Security dogs can no longer be used in juvenile correctional facilities or, except in specific situations, in state correctional facilities.

DATA CENTERS

Lottery games deemed as illegal gambling in Virginia can make use of data centers in the commonwealth if the wager is

placed by a person within a state where those games are legal.

ETHNIC ANIMOSITY

Discrimination in employment and in places of public accommodation based on ethnic origin is prohibited. Punishment for those who target someone because of their ethnic origin is also increased, as is the case in similar hate crimes.

JURY DUTY

The age when you can request exemption is raised from 70 to 73 years old.

KAKE POP PROMOTION

Homemade foods can now be promoted online if the sale happens in person and follows specific rules. Richmond-area cake pop maker Kelly Phillips of KP’s Kake Pops was told last year

FIREFIGHTER LEAVE

Paid leave of absence for professional firefighters performing military duties is increased from an eight-hour, 21-workday cap to 388 work hours.

GUNS

Auto sears or Glock switches that allow semi-automatic handguns to be capable of fully automatic fire have been made illegal.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Public university admissions decisions can no longer be based on a student’s legacy status or family relationship to donors. Private schools like University of Richmond are unaffected by the law.

IMAGINATION LIBRARY

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides more than 2 million free books each month to children ages 5 and younger around the world, comes to Virginia under legislation that requires a nonprofit to run the state’s version of the early literacy advocacy program.

Kthat she had run afoul of state food safety rules by using an Instagram post to advertise her products that would be for sale at a holiday market. The legislation allows certain food stuffs made at home — like cake pops — to be sold without inspection at events that last fewer than 14 days.

LUCIA’S LAW

It will be a felony for adults to allow a child to possess a firearm after being notified that the child poses a threat of violence. The bill was introduced after 13-yearold Lucia Bremer was killed by then-14-year-old Dylan Williams while walking home from school in Henrico County. Williams pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 60 years in prison. “We appreciate the wide bipartisan support it received, and we are grateful that the governor chose to sign Lucia’s Law on this, the third anniversary of her murder,” Lucia’s parents, Jonathan and Meredith Bremer, said in a statement.

MARRIAGE

A marriage license cannot be

YOUR SMILES HAVE MADE 50 YEARS FLY BY

Mrefused to two people based on their sex, gender or race. The law states that Virginia recognizes all such marriages. While a proposed constitutional amendment was pushed to 2025, this legislative solution attempts to solidify samesex marriage protections currently guaranteed by the U.S. Supreme Court. The law also allows religious groups and clergy the right to perform the marriage, which Youngkin cited in his signing of the legislation. Another, unrelated law sets the legal age of marriage at 18 years old and repeals the ability for a minor to be emancipated from their parents or guardians because they intend to get married.

NO CASINO

Richmond has been removed as an eligible host city for casino gaming establishments. Another new law mandates a three-year gap between a failed casino referendum and a new vote.

ONLINE LEGAL NOTICES

An ordinance, resolution, notice or advertisement can now be posted by certain online news sources to fulfill the legal requirement that they be published in a newspaper.

PROTECTIVE ORDERS

A person who violates a protective order can be tried where the victim lived at the time of the crime.

QUITCLAIM

Land owned by the Department of Conservation and Recreation can now be used for the longanticipated Biscuit Run Park near Charlottesville. The 1,190-acre Albemarle County park is on track to open in October.

ROADKILL

Anyone who comes across a deer, bear, turkey or elk that looks like it was killed in a collision with a motor vehicle will be allowed to claim it. Previously, only drivers

Vwho had actually hit a deer or a bear could claim that animal.

SPECIALTY PLATES

Drivers can celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution with a specialty license plate. Active duty or honorably discharged members of the U.S. Air Force can also receive a plate with the branch’s emblem.

TRAFFICKING

The offenses of abduction and receiving money for procuring a person are expanded to

Wand Consumer Services.

WESTERN HONEYBEE

Apis mellifera (also known as the European honeybee) is named Virginia’s state pollinator.

XYLAZINE

Also known as “tranq,” the veterinary tranquilizer has been linked to overdose deaths nationwide, particularly in combination with fentanyl, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Felony and misdemeanor punishments have

more easily prosecute human traffickers. Victims will also be able to seek damages.

UTILITY WORK DATABASE

By Jan. 1, 2025, the Department of Transportation must establish and maintain a publicly accessible database and map of all approved utility work that will occur within a right-of-way in a residential neighborhood.

VIRGINIA VERIFIED MEAT

Products cannot be labeled as “Virginia Verified Meat” unless the cattle, goats, sheep or swine were bred, born, raised and processed in the commonwealth. The law also stipulates who can certify the product outside of the Department of Agriculture

been added for crimes related to human consumption.

YOUTHS

Incoming eighth-graders in Petersburg and Roanoke public schools will be able to join the Community Builders Pilot Program, which will create after-school and summertime programs designed to reduce gun violence and increase community engagement, workforce development, postsecondary education exploration and socialemotional skills.

ZONING

Localities can let child day care programs operate within an office building by waiving zoning permit rules through an ordinance.

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oroughly Modern Edie

RTD film critic talked up stars, wrote hit songs and kept a diary about it all

For 30 years, Edith Lindeman Calisch covered entertainment for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The Richmond audience knew her as “Edith Lindeman” from her columns and radio broadcasts through various stations and, with collaborator radio personality Carl Stutz, as a songwriter.

Their pieces include the wistful 1954 “Li le Things Mean a Lot,” (“Blow me a kiss from across the room/Say I look nice when I’m not”) made a hit by Ki y Kallen and covered through the years. Their 1953 country murder ballad “Red Headed Stranger” was recorded by Willie Nelson for the titular watershed 1975 album that stayed 46 weeks on the charts and went gold. Nelson also adapted “Li le Things” for his 1990 album “Born for Trouble.”

Lindeman’s grandson Nelson Calisch collected excerpts from her journals and published them in 2021 as “A Line A Day: The Private Thoughts of a Public Woman.” The entries are o en terse, but Calisch selected many that are illustrative of the times and intriguing due to the personalities. Li le mention is made of her songs, though her grandson says that the inspiration originated from a car trip in the Smoky Mountains around 1950 with the AM radio playing country music. “Apparently, Edith said, ‘I can write be er stuff than this,’ and my grandfather (Abraham Woolner Calisch) said, ‘Why don’t you?’”

Thus, she did.

“One of the points of her story, I think,” Calisch reflects, “is that she succeeded as

a woman in an extremely conservative city, writing for an extremely conservative newspaper and in an extremely conservative industry.”

Reading her daily notations gave Calisch a greater understanding of his grandmother’s life and legacy. “I did not appreciate her talents or her challenges like I have since then,” he says. “I was always aware of her job at the newspaper, but I tended to think of it as a rather glamorous assignment. After all, who doesn’t like going to movies, and she could get in for free.”

The entries are bookended by two announcements. The first is the Dec. 23, 1919, announcement of his grandmother’s engagement to Abraham Wooler Calisch, the son of respected Rabbi Edward N. Calisch and whom she dubs “Woon” in the journals. The other announcement is dated June 16, 1950, for the wedding of her second child, Ellio “Bud” (Nelson Calisch’s father), to Page Dabney.

Nelson Calisch learned how his grandparents struggled to pay bills and

BY HARRY KOLLATZ JR.

moved around to find affordable rent. That changed in 1933 when commercial real estate executive and Neighborhood Theaters founder Morton G. Thalhimer recommended to the Times-Dispatch a reviewer for motion pictures. Calisch surmises that Ruth Wallerstein, Thalhimer’s wife and Lindeman’s best friend and maid of honor, may have influenced the decision.

In December 1939, entertainer and Richmond native Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, renowned for dancing with Shirley Temple, starred in a touring version of the “Hot Mikado,” and the production enjoyed a reception at the Mosque (today the Altria Theater).

“Between the first and second acts,” Lindeman observed in her review, “Bill Robinson donned dress clothes and was snapped with debutantes, crowds of youngsters, and civic leaders. Socialites clamored to meet Bojangles. Nobody wanted to go home. It was the most extraordinary display of spontaneous admiration for a man’s achievements that

Edith Lindeman Calisch

this conservative town has put on in many and many a year.”

Due to the racial restrictions of the city, Robinson couldn’t stay in white clientele hotels. For the interview, she went to a Black-operated Jackson Ward hotel, either the Eggleston or Slaughter’s.

Woon also needed to accompany her. “When she interviewed famous people, she usually went to their hotel rooms,” Calisch says about his grandmother. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have any privacy. And in Richmond in 1939, it was unthinkable that a white woman would go see a Black man without a chaperone.”

On their departure, Robinson helped Woon into his overcoat and handed Edie’s coat to her husband because, as she later told her grandson, Robinson adhered to the period’s social proprieties by not assisting her. “This would’ve been construed as too intimate a gesture,” Calisch recalls.

The Pittsburgh-born Edith seemed

taken aback by this subtle adherence to racial bounds, Calisch says, because through the years she recounted this particular moment with Robinson. “Her a itudes toward race changed after that encounter,” Calisch says. “She went from wondering about where to get help to taking an interest in civil rights.”

A decade later, films with a racial theme arrived in Richmond, including “Lost Boundaries,” which dealt with a Black family passing as white and featured performer and activist Canada Lee. On Oct. 12, 1949, she wrote of her lunch with the film’s cast: “It amazes me to see these dark men sit around and discuss the race situation as candidly as the price of eggs. But when I told Canada Lee that I was less interested in his being a ‘credit to his race,’ than that he was a ‘credit to the theatre,’ he almost wept. It was a very illuminating experience.”

Topics familiar to present-day readers arise in Lindeman’s diaries: pay equity and office politics, shrinking space for arts coverage — and this in the late 1940s with newspapers both physically larger and greater readership — issues of race and civil rights, divisions within Jewish political culture and Richmond’s social strata and even strange weather.

The diaries, too, are interesting because they allow us to see the writer living in her present, but our past. We cannot know what it must’ve been like in 1941 to see, for the first time, the Walt Disney animated film “Fantasia” with an orchestral score led by Leopold Stokowski. Lindeman called it “a magnificent experiment” and probably too expensive to make any profit. She related that Woon expected boredom,

“and now he wants to see it again, and so do I. But it was a job to review. Lordy I wish I had a nice easy position — like ditch digging, or floor scrubbing.”

During press junkets and celebrity visits here, Lindeman interviewed Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Burgess Meredith, Joan Crawford, Judy Garland and many more. Frank Sinatra came to Richmond in October 1949 to crown renowned lyric soprano Dorothy Kirsten queen of the annual Tobacco Festival. “He’s some nice little guy,” Lindeman noted, adding that his scheduled appearances and a performance on “Hit Parade” with Kirsten “would shake a heavy-weight, but the frail li le Frankie just goes rolling along.”

On Sept. 30, 1978, Willie Nelson, then appearing at Kings Dominion, called Lindeman at the prompting of Times-Dispatch music critic Clarke Bustard. “We had a good conversation,” she wrote, “but I forgot to ask him how he found ‘The Red Headed Stranger.’ … And he has a nice quiet voice that belies his grungy appearance.”

Li le things, a er all, mean a lot. R

“A Line A Day: e Private oughts of a Public Woman,” Nelson Calisch's illustrated adaptation of his grandmother’s journals, is available through Amazon ($14.95, so cover).

Lindeman with Clark Gable

Lindeman with The Little Rascals of the "Our Gang" series

Lindeman speaks with Gary Cooper

RENEW YOUR FOCUS.

Refuel your future.

RETURN TO SCHOOL

WHEN YOU RETURN TO SCHOOL at the University of Richmond School of Professional and Continuing Studies, you'll have the power to change your path. Discover your purpose. Ignite your spark. And make your mark! Build skills, expand your abilities and develop professional competencies to support your career aspirations – whether that includes a career change, growth and development or advancement. spcs.richmond.edu

A E&

Edited by NICOLE COHEN

Edited by CRAIG

Rapper Mad Skillz unveils his first documentary P. 44

The Rosenwald Schools’ impact is explored through photography P.

Datebook: Upcoming comedy, music and more P.

‘The Gospel Cop’ Mervin Mayo releases a new album P. 40

EVENT

ARTSY ASHLAND

Fourth Fridays return to downtown Ashland on May 24 and continue through September. The monthly block party at the “Center of the Universe” features local vendors, chefs, farmers, musicians, dance performances, face painting, food trucks, sidewalk sales and more. The series is hosted by the Downtown Ashland Association, whose mission is to highlight the town’s art scene, according to Marketing Director Louise Keeton. “Ashland is home to artists of all genres,” she says. “Fourth Fridays is a way to immerse yourself in the artistry that Ashlanders get to enjoy 24 hours a day.” The free events run from 5 to 8 p.m. ashlandfourthfridays.com —Parker Barnes

MUSIC

VINTAGE PETTY

Get your lawn chairs and blankets out for an evening of music on May 18 at the fi h annual Rockin’ Under the Stars concert with Full Moon Fever, a Tom Pe y tribute band, at Upper Shirley Vineyards in Charles City. This family-friendly performance is held on Upper Shirley’s expansive back lawn overlooking a river bend. The vineyard will be offering a dinner menu featuring scratch-made dishes by executive chef Theodore Sehenuk to accompany the venue’s wines, mixed beverages, local cra beer and selection of nonalcoholic beverages. Gates open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. uppershirley.com — Ma hew Sporn

MUSIC

SOME CHOICE ROCK

The Los Angeles-based grunge band L7 will rock The Canal Club on May 13. The allfemale four-piece formed in 1985, broke up in 2001 and reunited in 2015; they’ve been active ever since. Hits include “Pretend We’re Dead,” which charted in 1992. The group initiated the Rock for Choice benefit concerts that ran from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. Lunachicks guitarist Gina Volpe, active in music for almost as long as L7, will open the 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets to the allages concert are $27 in advance, $30 at the door. thecanalclub.com —Adam Cheek

STORY OF LEGACY

An exhibition at Crossroads Art Center is all about RVA, featuring a members-only show of works inspired by the first Richmond poet laureate Douglas Powell’s (whose pen name is Roscoe Burnems) early 2010s poem “Ode to Richmond.” It’s one of the first pieces Powell published about his hometown; within it, he focuses on all the great art and artists to be discovered around the city. The exhibition, which shares its name with the poem, opens May 17 as Crossroads celebrates its 22nd anniversaryand continues through June 30. A free opening reception is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. May 17; email the gallery at crossroadsartcenter@gmail.com to be added to the invitation list. Two additional showcases, “The Gi of Trees” and “Encorepreneurs!” will run simultaneously. crossroadsartcenter.com —Nicole

Cohen

THEATER BEETLEJUICE ON BROADWAY

“Beetlejuice,” Tim Burton’s 1988 film starring Michael Keaton, was famously the first DVD rental mailed by Netflix. Now, a musical stage adaptation of the comedic ghost story pi ing a newly dead couple against the family that has purchased their house will be at the Altria Theater from June 4-9. Broadway in Richmond’s last show of the 2023-24 season is directed by Tony Award-winner Alex Timbers. “It has really kind of go en this new pop culture following just through social media here in the last few years when it opened in Broadway in 2019,” says Broadway in Richmond spokesperson Cindy Creasy. “I think that there are a lot of younger people who will really enjoy it as well, even if they’ve never seen the movie.” The show is recommended for ages 13 and up, and tickets start at $35. altriatheater.com —PB

THEATER

WHAT’S IN A NAME

Richmond playwright and actor Chandler Hubbard evokes empathy with his work and o en touches on vulnerable subjects including relationships, generational trauma, systemic inequities and grief. “If I can show just one person that they aren’t alone, it will all have been worth it,” he says. His work “Roman À Clef” is onstage May 8-26 as part of The New Theatre at Firehouse. Directed by Sharon O (pictured above), the story follows six actors rehearsing a play about a seemingly blissful family. As interpersonal secrets are revealed, relationships are upturned and the meaning of family is reassessed. The production’s experimental, play-within-a-play and comedic style blurs the line between performance and reality. Tickets are $35. firehousetheatre.org —Gray Pershing

LOVE FOR MOM

Celebrate the important ladies in your life with Mother’s Day happenings around RVA. From afternoon tea to live music, here’s a sampling of activities surrounding the May 12 holiday.

MAY 1-11

The butterfly-themed Mother’s Day Tea Experience at The Queen’s Library Tea Room in Monroe Ward is a twohour a air that features handcrafted tea blends, sweet and savory bites, and a gift for moms in attendance. The tearoom has been transformed into a whimsical fluttering scene, and a garden photo opportunity is also available. Tickets are $65 per person ($44 ages 8 and under), and a percentage of ticket sales benefits the Butterfly Society of Virginia. queenslibrarytearoom.com

MAY 11

Comedian Mike Jay presents “Dear Mama” Mother’s Day Comedy Night at TRIO Restaurant & Lounge in Richmond’s South Side. The evening is hosted by Queen City Comedy Festival with standup comic Porsha Renee emceeing the lineup of performers including Kells Morton, Algiers Diamond and Gina G. Plus, enjoy a three-course dinner for $25. Admission to the 6 p.m. show is $15. eventbrite.com

MAY 12

Gospel stars Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, J.J. Hairston, Charles Jenkins and Marvin Sapp take the Altria Theater stage for a “Mother’s Day Celebration.” Hosted by comedian and actor Jonathan Slocumb, the event features uplifting music honoring family matriarchs. The music begins at 4 p.m., and tickets start at $62.50. altriatheater.com

MAY 19

Henrico’s Twisted Carrot Farm presents A Mother’s Love Market at Lakeside Farmers’ Market from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The free event celebrates Mom with more than 30 local makers, arts and crafts workshops, and familyfriendly fun. eventbrite.com

Compiled by NC

KING OF HEARTS

Comedian Kountry Wayne (aka Wayne Colley) brings his tour “The King of Hearts” to the Altria Theater stage on May 25. Known for character sketches and comedy with a Southern flair, Colley first toured nationally in 2017 a er achieving viral fame several years earlier. Now he has a Netflix special under his belt and has wri en a book, scored a spot on Variety’s 2021 list of “10 Comics to Watch” and hosted a comedy clip show on BET+. Colley’s online fame includes videos and sketches on YouTube and social media, as well as the Amazon Prime Video film “Strange Love” and the Peacock movie “Praise This.” Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show start at $46. altriatheater.com —AC

Happenings

MUSIC

5/13

Vision Video continues the post-punk music movement at Richmond Music Hall at 8 p.m. $20. capitalalehouse.com

5/15

Canadian folk artist and founding member of the band Great Big Sea Alan Doyle plays The Tin Pan at 8 p.m. $45. tinpanrva.com

5/18

Papadosio blends progressive rock, electronica and jazz at The National at 8 p.m. $29. thenationalva.com

5/31

The Prabir Trio, Deux Visages and Sir Chloe perform during Friday Cheers on Brown’s Island from 6 to 9:30 p.m. $10. venturerichmond.com

6/1-2

The Richmond Symphony plays Verdi’s “Requiem” during its season finale at the Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre at 8 p.m. June 1 and 3 p.m. June 2. Tickets start at $15. dominionenergycenter.com

6/5

Indie artists Murder by Death and J. Roddy Walston take The Broadberry stage beginning at 7:30 p.m. $30. thebroadberry.com

6/8

Ember Music Hall hosts Kiss tribute band, KISSNATION at 7 p.m. $25 to $45. embermusichall.com

6/8

Japanese punk band Melt-Banana rocks The Broadberry at 7:30 p.m. $25. thebroadberry.com

STAGE

5/18-6/15

Swift Creek Mill Theatre presents “Run for Your Wife,” a British comedy that follows two storylines centered around a bigamous taxi driver. $49. swiftcreekmill.com

5/21

“Menopause the Musical 2: Cruising Through ‘The Change’” is a comedic and profound exploration of four friends entering the next phase of their lives. The Dominion Energy Center performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $18. dominionenergycenter.com

6/6

Eric Eaton blends comedy with magic at Richmond’s Funny Bone Comedy Club beginning at 7 p.m. $32 to $37. richmond.funnybone.com

GALLERIES

5/10-18

Maggie Walker Governor’s School seniors exhibit their portfolios, four years in the making, at Art Works’ main gallery. It’s an opportunity to view and purchase work from up-and-coming young artists. artworksrva.com

THROUGH 5/18

A new collection of collages, sculpture and paintings comes to Artspace featuring Donna Frostick’s “The Myth of Memory,” Robert Wilhelm’s “Unnatural Selection” and Farida Hughes’ “Embedded Poetries.” artspacegallery.org

5/24-6/23

The Visual Arts Center of Richmond presents a showcase of work in various mediums produced by its Annual Resident Artists. visarts.org

EXHIBITIONS

THROUGH 6/2

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts exhibits a collection of garments from the “Teen Stylin’: Mementos” runway show held May 5. The fashions have been designed by 57 Virginia middle and high school students. vmfa.museum

THROUGH 8/17

During “Like the Dust Settles in Layers, So Does the Story” at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, artists invite viewers to open their minds to new insights about race and racial identities and the e ect of stereotypes and systemic oppression among communities. Included with museum admission ($6 to $10). blackhistorymuseum.org

THROUGH 11/30

The Virginia Holocaust Museum exhibition “Memorial Without Witness” displays a collection of historian Charles Sydnor Jr.’s black-and-white photographs of Auschwitz he captured during a 1987 visit when it was nearly

devoid of visitors. Admission is free ($6 suggested donation). vaholocaust.org

EVENTS

5/10-11

The Sentara Cap2Cap bicycling event raises funds for the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation. Riders can choose from four distances and enjoy party zones at Chickahominy RiverFront Park and Dorey Park. Registration starts at $50. virginiacapitaltrail.org

5/11

Richmond Night Market is back with live music, painting, family workshops and artisan vendors at the 17th Street Market. 5 to 9 p.m. Free. richmondnightmarketva. com

5/11

Maymont’s “Vintage on the Green” fundraising auction and black-tie gala takes place on the Carriage House Lawn beginning at 6 p.m. $375. maymont.org

5/11-12

The annual Fort Clifton Festival features an arts and crafts vendor fair along with food, drink and Civil War relics from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free. colonialheightsva.gov

5/15

The Poetry Society of Virginia celebrates its centennial anniversary anthology with a discussion and book signing at the Library of Virginia from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Free. lva.virginia.gov

5/18

The Richmond R&B Neo Soul Food and Wine Festival takes place at the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds from noon to 6 p.m. $30. eventbrite.com

5/30-6/2

Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral hosts the 46th annual Richmond Greek Festival featuring live music, dancing, food and cultural performances. Free. greekfestival.com

—Compiled

by Gray Pershing

THE GOSPEL OFFICER

After amassing internet fame, a local cop and minister is ready for round two

By Pearl Lee

Richmond police officer and minister Mervin Mayo, who went viral in 2020 with his cover of the Marvin Sapp song “The Best in Me,” released a follow-up album on April 26, titled “God Did It.”

An East End native, Mayo hung around a police substation, where he was befriended by two officers, Curtis Simmons and Gerald Tuck. The duo worked with the nonprofit Police Athletic League, which aims to keep kids out of trouble through programming such as trips to amusement parks and sporting events.

“It was a miracle for me, the best thing that happened to me,” Mayo says. “Growing up in Creighton Court, we didn’t

him sing, he was advised to “glaze over” rap and focus on singing. Mayo chose gospel music for the feelings it evokes. “I just love to sing gospel music and I just get God praised through my voice,” he says, noting he is also an ordained minister of music at Truth Ministries.

“The Gospel Cop” has been uploading music videos to his YouTube channel for 15 years, typically garnering around 30 views. But in 2020, Mayo’s videos started gaining traction. “The remake of Marvin Sapp’s ‘The Best in Me’ got shared by some celebrities, I think, and it blew up,” he says. “The next morning, it had like two or three million views.” Subsequent videos met with similar success. “And then it just kept going.”

While Mayo has a passion for music, he also cares deeply about his job as a resource officer at an alternative school. “The kids have been kicked out of all other schools, so this is the last resort for them,” he says. “There were times growing up where I could’ve been arrested, but the officers granted me grace. ... My job actually is to keep the kids out of jail. That’s why I don’t want to leave, because I have a rapport with these kids and their parents, and I love my job. ... I just love working with the kids.”

have a lot of money. ... [PAL] made me see things I would’ve never seen and be in places that I probably would’ve never gone. It made me a better person and made me realize there was more than what was around my block.”

Mervin Mayo’s “God Did It” album released April 26. For more information, visit mervinmayo.com or @mervinmayo on Instagram.

The experience inspired Mayo to become a police officer himself. “I wanted to basically do the same thing the [PAL program] did for me for other young men and women growing up in povertystricken areas,” he says.

Mayo found music through happenstance. “I started going to church when I was 13 and joined the choir,” he explains, adding that he performed rap for a time, but once his manager heard

Mayo found a way to get the best of both worlds by signing with Warner Music Group as a partner, which gives him creative control over the kind of music he produces and makes. “It’s a 50-50 cut, which means all the production, music and everything comes out of my pocket,” Mayo says. “Now, the promotion and all that stuff, the record label does. What I don’t have control over is when it actually gets released; Warner Music makes that decision.”

The first single from the album, “God Did It,” debuted in June 2023; Mayo followed it with “The Best Friend,” which earned radio play. “I’m in the top 28 on the Billboard gospel charts, which is really good,” he says. “Once you get into the top 30, it’s pre y good.”

Patricia Hooten

Neil Duman Janine Orr

David Bushman

Glenda Shulleeta

Tom Hennessy

Brenda Sylvia

BUILT FOR THE FUTURE

A new photography exhibition focuses on the Rosenwald schools’ educational impact on Black students

By Harry Kollatz Jr.

Their partnership is thoroughly and powerfully American. Booker T. Washington, born into slavery, founded the Tuskegee Institute in 1881 in Alabama. He sought to improve the educational prospects for African Americans. Julius Rosenwald, a son of Jewish immigrants from Springfield, Illinois, rose to direct the growth of the Sears, Roebuck and Co. and his philanthropy supported vocational and technical education.

They were joined together in 1912 a er Rosenwald was appointed to the institute’s board, leading to his working with Washington and funding schools for Black youths across the Jim Crow South. By 1937, the Rosenwald schools program had built schools, shops and teacher’s homes across 15 Southern states. Following the 1954 Supreme Court ruling of Brown v. Board of Education, many of the Rosenwald schools closed. Some new schools included the older buildings in their design while others received adaptation for different purposes. Many were razed.

A photographic tribute to the educational institutions, “A Be er Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools That Changed America,” runs May 25 to April 20, 2025, at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

The duotone images displayed within the exhibition also appear in the 2021 book by Andrew Feiler for which the show is named. He traveled 25,000 miles to photograph 105 of the remaining Rosenwald schools.

Among the showcase’s 26 photographs selected by Feiler are four locations in Virginia: Saint Paul’s Chapel School, Brunswick County; Nansemond County Training School; Denbigh School, Warwick County; and Farmville Training School, Prince Edward County. Among the images are interior and exterior shots, schools that have been restored and others in disrepair as well as the portraits of individuals with connections to the educational institutions such as Elroy and Sophia Williams. Sophia’s grandparents, who were former slaves, obtained and then donated land for the construction of a Rosenwald school. Rosenwald funding in Virginia constructed 382 schools and auxiliary buildings. The

presentation includes a list of the structures and a collage of historical and contemporary images of the schools across the commonwealth.

Preservation Virginia placed Virginia’s Rosenwald schools on its 2013 Most Endangered Historic Places list to raise awareness about their existence. In 2019, the group, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, completed a two-year survey of the state’s Rosenwald schools. An accounting of that endeavor can be read at preservationvirginia.org, and a 2018 video on YouTube, “Virginia Rosenwald School Network Meeting.”

Feiler is scheduled to speak at the VMHC this month and he’ll also host a lecture and book signing at the museum on Sept. 5. Visit virginiahistory.org for more information.

Entrance into “A Be er Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools That Changed America” is included with museum admission ($8 to $12).

The Je erson Jacob School was a Kentucky-based Rosenwald school built in 1917. The Filson Historical Society preserves a 1920s photograph depicting students and teachers in front of the building.

Every child deserves a permanent family and lifelong relationships for better outcomes. Foster youth without permanency struggle to become independent adults, with lower high school graduation and college attainment rates compared to the general population.

Through adoption, older youth gain a vital support system, stability, lasting connections, and positive role models for

relationships.

BRUNCHING TO THE ’90S

Rapper, DJ, songwriter and producer Mad Skillz adds another credit to his resume: filmmaker

By Amy Carleton

On a gray Sunday in late January, the auditorium in Charlotte, North Carolina’s Uptown Mint Museum was filling up. Even though it was AFC Championship weekend — when the eyes of folks in this football town would normally be glued to the gridiron — people continued to file in: men, women, Gen Xers, millennials, and even a 5-year-old. The air was full of buzz and cha er.

The reason for their gathering?

To catch the North Carolina premiere of the documentary “Mad Skillz and the 90s Girl Brunch.”

Richmond-native Mad Skillz, born Shaqwan Lewis, has a loyal following and a reputation for being a guy who shows up for his community. That’s why one of his childhood hometown neighbors drove

nearly four hours (with her mother in tow) to Charlo e to see Mad Skillz and his film. “He’s always been that guy who looked out for everyone else,” she says. “We wouldn’t miss the chance to show up for him.”

Mad Skillz is a hip-hop pioneer, from his early days as an emerging rapper signed to Timbaland’s label to touring with icons including Missy Elliott and DJ Jazzy Jeff. In addition to his own music (he has seven studio albums), the songs he has penned or produced for others (including names such as Will Smith), his creation of the podcast “Hip Hop Confessions,” and his role as an instructor at the University of Richmond, he is always innovating while preserving the

legacy of Black music and culture.

In March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mad Skillz was isolating in place, trying to stay busy. He was visiting Los Angeles, where his full schedule as a DJ, songwriter, producer and university lecturer on the history of hip-hop had come to a screeching halt. He was used to working independently, but whatever he created (a set mix, a beat, a rhyme, a lecture) had always been shared with an audience. Due to COVID-19, all that changed. Just as many thought in the early days of the pandemic, Skillz figured it was a temporary break from public gatherings. To occupy his time, he created “The Quarantine Mix,” an amalgam of his trademark sense of humor and classic tracks that tangentially gestured to the idea of a virus. The set included “Contagious” by Ron Isley, “Toxic” by Britney Spears, and “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” by Busta Rhymes, something he now realizes was more prescient than any of us knew at the time. Still, it was a lighthearted a empt at engaging with his online followers,

Mad Skillz gathered with members of the 90s Girl Brunch virtual community for a private January screening of his new documentary at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach.

many of whom quickly jumped on board when the artist joined Instagram Live to DJ his first virtual party.

Mad Skillz realized isolation had made people hungry for connection and that he could bring them together through the internet and the use of music. A er that experience, he turned his home into a temporary DJ booth. He came up with a simple concept: a virtual brunch, complete with feel-good ’90s R&B music. It was more than shorthand for a weekend meal between breakfast and lunch, it also signified time spent with friends, laughter, music, fun and community.

Mad Skillz’s “90s Girl Brunch” was born.

Each Saturday and Sunday, the same names would log on and listen to his brunch sets. More than that, they would virtually participate and communicate, making jokes and making friends. The community soon spilled over into the real

My hope is that people come away from this film realizing that music can still bring us together [and] keep us together.”

Mad Skillz

world. Once it was safer to gather again, Mad Skillz decided to host an in-person event. People flew in from across the country to spend time with their host, and most of all, each other.

The self-produced “Mad Skillz and the 90s Girl Brunch” took him two years to make. “My hope is that people come away

from this film realizing that music can still bring us together and not only bring us together, but keep us together,” he says.

The film is available to stream on Mad Skillz’s YouTube page, and he’s also hosting a “90s Girl Brunch” event on May 5 at the Park on Fremont restaurant in Las Vegas.

The documentary explores how a weekly online DJ set became much more, building friendships that were planted online but bloomed in the analog world. It is a film that proves the power of music to bring diverse communities together. But more than that, it’s about our collective humanity and how we care for one another in the ways we know how.

When asked to explain the unique phenomenon of the “90s Girl Brunch,” which had followers tuning in religiously for a dose of sonic salvation, Mad Skillz notes, “Your imagination can take you places that travel can’t.”

ADVENTURE DAMASCUS

Come Play on Our Trails!

Nestled in the heart of Southwest Virginia is the ultimate outdoor escape for your next getaway. Damascus – known as Trail Town, USA – is home to more than 7 nationally known recreational trails. It’s a prime location to indulge in fresh air and adventures within minutes of town. Take a hike on the Appalachian Trail which traverses down the town’s main street. Ride a bike on the world-famous Virginia Creeper Trail, be sure to book a shuttle with Adventure Damascus Bicycles. They will shuttle you to the top, while you enjoy a leisurely 17-mile downhill bike ride back to Damascus. No matter what, you’re sure to find adventure around every turn in Damascus, Virginia!

GARTH NEWEL MUSIC CENTER

WORLD-CLASS MUSIC IN VIRGINIA’S HIGHLANDS

You don’t have to be a chamber music expert to be moved by the magic of Garth Newel. Known for breathtaking scenery, inspiring performances, and amazing chef-prepared dining, Garth Newel is a one-of-a-kind experience. First-time visitors often feel a sense of personal discovery that transcends the music alone. As you drive the winding country roads to Warm Springs, it seems you are retreating from the cares of the world … and then you find yourself delighted by the musicians’ passion, creativity, and approachability. Only 2 ½ hours from Richmond, with lodging on-site and nearby, this is your perfect weekend getaway.

GarthNewelMusicCenter: Inspired(andinspiring)music inanintimatevenue.Amazing after-concertmealscreatedby theresidentchef.Breathtaking scenerysurroundingtheserene historicestatewhereGarthNewel makesits home.Italladdsup toafive-starexperience.

InbeautifulHotSprings: Virginia’sonlyyear-round chambermusicexperience.

JUMPING ROCKS PHOTOGRAPHY

LIVING

Edited by KEVIN JOHNSON

MORGAN EDWARDS

Smile and stretch with laughter yoga P. 62

Statewide efforts to address dementia P. 56 Gen Z are new targets for online scammers P.

Volunteer gardeners grow a new look for Richmond P.

Old Town Alexandria’s historic charm, updated P. 60

Creativity comes alive at Make or Made P. 52

Make or Made founder Tanairi Gonzalez

YOU’VE GOT IT MADE

A Cary Street shop helps Richmonders craft and sell custom collectibles

By Kevin Johnson

For hobbyists, turning a creative passion into a self-sustaining business is a journey full of hurdles. At Make or Made, founder Tanairi Gonzalez wants to help cra ers and small businesses clear those barriers and turn their vision into reality.

Located at 2100 W. Cary St. is divided in two: a retail section in the front and a creative studio in the back. e idea, according to Gonzalez, is to provide a space where artists and professionals can use supplies they need and access equipment to perfect their product.

“Ultimately, both sides are just making things easier and more accessible for people,” Gonzalez says.

In the front, guests can snag supplies for making jewelry, macrame, drinkware and more, as well as a host of recycled packing and shipping materials. There’s also a selection of already-made goods from local makers.

In the back are tools and machines to turn those raw materials into ready-to-sell custom stickers, ornaments and anything else a designer can infuse with their artistry.

Gonzalez’s idea for Make or Made stemmed from frustrations

MICRO MAKERS

RICHMOND NATIVE Sarah Haden began a clay earring pop-up, Sassy Happy Handmade, during the pandemic. A school teacher, Haden wanted a creative outlet during the shift to virtual learning and began making brightly colored and boldly shaped polymer clay earrings. Sassy Happy Handmade’s products come in numerous styles; customers can also request custom orders. From May to December, Haden sells her jewelry at Richmond-area events including the RVA Big Market; she sells online year-round. “It’s still so surreal to see someone wearing my earrings and know that I’ve put something beautiful out into the world,” she says. —Anja Hemesath

she encountered for the past eight years as a solo business owner, designing po ery and hand-stamped goods. “I felt like Richmonders needed a space where they can access the equipment to diversify their income and not feel like they have to spend thousands of dollars,” she says. “I don’t like seeing artists struggle to make their things and make money, because I went through that.”

Make or Made’s end-to-end ethos also applies to amateurs. e store o ers monthly classes to introduce cra -curious locals to the range of consumer goods the shop can produce. Group and solo workshops start at $20 per person. Employees walk students through designing and cra ing custom tote bags, wall clocks, rubber stamps and much more.

Gonzalez also provides memberships that start at $9 per hour or $79 a month, with the intention of cultivating a community where local artists can inspire each other. “I wanted to have more fun with what I was doing and have in-person interactions with creators and customers, rather than just fulfilling an Etsy order,” she says. “ at’s what we’re here to do in Richmond.” R

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Rachel Azzinaro has turned a knack for eye-catching prints and slogans into Three to the Em, an online store and pop-up. While an art student at VCU, Azzinaro fostered an appreciation for printmaking. She began selling handmade designs through Instagram before establishing Three to the Em Prints in 2020. Her creations include bumper stickers, prints and stationery, all available from Etsy and at pop-up markets and small businesses in town. “People always talk about how Richmond is a ‘small town,’ and I really feel that support at markets,” Azzinaro says. “People aren’t looking for mass-produced art like they used to, but handmade items that you can associate with a real person in your own town.” —AH

Make or Made’s storefront features ready-made goods from local artisans

Helping Richmond Grow

Richmond gardeners have outlets across the region

By Rachel Kester

It’s easy to take Richmond’s public gardens and parks for granted. Manicured flower beds, freshly cut grass and cleared pathways are things we all enjoy without a second thought, but they didn’t just spring up on their own. It’s thanks to volunteers who dedicate their time to maintaining local gardens, all to keep green spaces flourishing.

Martha Anne Ellis, a volunteer at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, is one of those dedicated gardeners. Her inspiration came from her childhood. “I grew up in the country and around a lot of flowers, so I decided to donate my time over at Lewis Ginter,” she says.

Ellis was one of the first volunteers at Lewis Ginter, starting in 1987. She eventually became a paid sta member of Lewis Ginter’s garden shop, retiring in 2018 a er nearly three decades. Nowadays, she’s back as a volunteer, caring for azaleas in the Nature Reserve and maintaining the area around the Robins Tea House.

Lewis Ginter relies on some 500 volunteers for everything from managing guests to wildlife monitoring. “Volunteering satisfies your soul,” Ellis says.

One of the city’s best known green spaces, Maymont, also benefits from the goodwill of Richmond gardeners. Volunteers like Jo Ann Kacani work with horticulture sta to keep the historic grounds pristine.

Kacani volunteered for a bit in the 1990s, then returned during the pandemic. “My kids grew up feeding the animals and a ending summer camps. We’ve traveled the paths on the 100-acre property looking for the native deer

that roam,” she says. “[Volunteering is] my way of giving back to a place that brings so much joy.”

Kacani changes out garden beds, picks up magnolia seed pods and decorates the grounds for the holidays. Volunteering has also improved her knowledge of the local environment and history. “I’ve learned about our watersheds and where water in Richmond actually flows and originates before it enters the James,” she says.

e region’s volunteers assist with more than florals and historic gardens. Part of a network of 18 community gardens in the city, Birdhouse Community Garden in Randolph provides free produce to residents of its surrounding communities. e garden

has four vegetable beds and a berry patch, alongside numerous herbs and native perennials.

“We want the community to feel comfortable going into the space, learning about what produce is growing and taking home what they are interested in using in their own meals,” says Tegan Moore, Birdhouse’s garden coordinator.

Volunteers tend to the crops the first Saturday of each month from March to November. Signups aren’t required, and Birdhouse provides tools, education and waivers for newcomers.

Volunteering at the city’s gardens can be hard work, but is well worth the e ort. “It’s lovely to get together with likeminded people who enjoy bringing beauty to the world,” Ellis says. R

The Italian Garden at Maymont gets a spruce up from volunteer gardeners.

PLANNING AHEAD

Updated goals for dementia care address the disease’s growing presence

By D. Hunter Reardon

As of 2020, 164,000 Virginians su er from Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, according to the national nonprofit Alzheimer’s Association. at number is expected to rise to nearly 200,000 by next year.

is uptick reflects a growing need to provide care to people with degenerative brain diseases like dementia and to support caregivers and medical institutions tasked with managing dementia patients. In response, the Virginia Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Commission released its 2024-27 Virginia Dementia State Plan in January.

Updated every four years, the plan is a playbook for anyone diagnosed with or involved in the treatment of dementia in Virginia, listing care providers like assisted living facilities and state organizations such as the Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitation Services.

e commission works to implement change through policy recommendations to lawmakers and suggested improvements to care facilities. e six major goals of the plan are to improve dementia services, enhance data collection, increase awareness of the disease, widen access to dementia care for patients, expand research and support brain health across the state.

One objective is already bearing fruit: increased data collection.

Established in 2022 and protected by law in a bill passed by the Virginia General Assembly and signed by Gov. Youngkin this year, the Virginia Memory Project is a database and tool for dementia patients and caregivers. e project includes an online survey documenting personal details and dementia symptoms that can help participants obtain additional information, connect with resources or schedule medical appointments.

“We’re collecting data and analyzing

trends,” explains Annie Rhodes, founder and director of the Virginia Memory Project and assistant professor of gerontology at Virginia Commonwealth University. “We have a way for people who don’t have access to a caregiver to self-report,” she continues. “Because those folks are underresourced, we have a way for them to ask for help.”

Another of the plan’s goals is currently implemented in the Richmond region. Bickford of Chesterfield, an assisted living community, is one of several longterm dementia care facilities in the region tailoring their care to the individual level with home-like environments, something the updated plan encourages across Virginia.

Dreama C., a family advocate at Bickford who asked to be referred to by her first name, notes that person-centered care is key to addressing dementia’s behavioral symptoms and improving residents’ quality of life. “We really try to speak with family and get to the root of the person [we’re treating],” she says. “When our treatment is geared towards the person, rather than generic, we can dissuade that behavior while honoring who they are.”

Bickford is an example of how facilities can model support for dementia patients and influence individual care givers to use be er methods. “ e messages in the plan aren’t just for older people; they’re for every Virginian,” says George Worthington, dementia services coordinator for the state Department of Aging and Rehabilitation Services.

Start the search for care in the Richmond region with the Virginia Memory Project’s survey, available online from VCU’s Virginia Center on Aging. Senior Connections, the Area Agency on Aging for Central Virginia, provides lists of care facilities and educational resources online

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Gen Z’s Digital Deception

Fraudsters are targeting teens and young adults

I’m constantly talking to my two sons about being good citizens of the digital world. When used responsibly, the internet is a wonderful tool for finding knowledge and fun, connections and community. But just like in the real world, they must be mindful of their surroundings and not let their guard down.

Teens are the fastest-growing group of online scam victims, according to the FBI’s 2022 Internet Crime Report. From 2017 to 2022, money lost to online scams by victims 20 and younger grew from $8.2 million to $210 million.

e Federal Trade Commission calls social media a “golden goose” for scammers, and — perhaps surprisingly — teens are more at risk than adults and seniors. In the first six months of 2023, nearly half of all money lost to fraud by 18- and 19-year-olds happened through

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other digital platforms.

Because of their success, phishing scams are only growing more common. Seemingly legitimate emails lure users into sharing sensitive personal information. Scams also come in the form of pop-up ads or direct messages o ering something enticing like cool products, prizes or a lucrative job.

Especially dangerous for teens and terrifying for parents is catfishing, when a scammer establishes a fake identity to trick someone into believing they’re in a relationship. According to the FTC, half the people who reported losing money in an online romance scam said conversations began on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. Scammers create fake social media accounts, target a teen’s interests and steal their contact list to use as blackmail.

BY LAURA ANDERS LEE

In our region, public schools start addressing responsible internet use as early as kindergarten, using curriculum from Common Sense Media and Virginia Digital Learning Integration Standards. Educators discuss the dangers of shar-

Kids, like adults, tend to think they’re more savvy than they are, which makes the strangers and scammers lurking online that much harder to look out for.

ing personal information, the importance of strong passwords and how to recognize online schemes.

“Our aim is to empower students to navigate the digital world responsibly and safely,” says Kourtney Bostain, director of innovationfor Henrico County Public Schools. To mitigate risk, she advises that students verify the source, adjust their privacy se ings and disable cookies when possible.

“Parents should have open conversations about online scams, clickbait and deceptive o ers,” she continues. “Discuss the red flags of scams, such as poor grammar, misspellings and suspicious pop-ups. Understanding these signs can significantly reduce the risk of falling prey to online scammers.”

Kids, like adults, tend to think they’re more tech savvy than they are, which makes the strangers and scammers lurking online that much harder to look out for. Opening a line of communication with your teens can protect them from the perils of phishing.

Tech Tips for Teens

BE WARY of friend requests and direct messages from people you’ve never met in person.

If a contest or sale seems TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, it probably is.

Place PRIVACY SETTINGS on video games and social media to limit outside access.

VERIFY THE SOURCE of emails and look for misspellings or suspicious domains.

THINK TWICE before providing personal information.

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OLD TOWN, NEW FEEL

An Alexandria neighborhood celebrates 275 years

By Christine Winder

With cobblestone streets and a small, walkable feel, the Old Town Alexandria historic district is an outpost of Colonial history surrounded by modern convenience. As it approaches its 275th anniversary celebration on July 13, Old Town is growing to present new ways to connect with the past while preparing for the future.

WHERE TO STAY

First opened as the George Mason Hotel in 1926, Hotel Heron is among the many businesses looking to start fresh in a familiar space. Opening in June of this year, the revamped hotel focuses on Alexandria’s bygone charm and features

134 rooms, event and meeting spaces, a signature restaurant and a rooftop bar.

The interiors are a well-crafted blend of modern design and historic architecture, creating a space complementary to the surrounding city.

WHAT TO SEE

The Old Town Farmers’ Market at King Street’s Market Square is the country’s oldest farmers market continuously held at the same location. Among the first vendors was George Washington, who sold his produce from nearby Mount Vernon. Visit the market on Saturday mornings year-round for fruits and vegetables, prepared foods, baked goods, flowers and plants, soaps, jewelry and art.

Walk from the retail hub on King Street to Waterfront Park, a greenspace with trails and boat docks. The selfguided African American Waterfront Heritage Trail was established in 2023 to tell the stories of Africans and their descendants who lived and worked in the area. On display through November at Waterfront Park, the public art installation Interstellar Influencer (Make an Impact) uses metal, water and light in a depiction of an asteroid that hit earth nearly 35

million years ago in the location of what is now Alexandria.

If you can’t get enough of the water, embark on a cruise along the Potomac River. Several companies o er brunch, lunch and dinner cruises where visitors can enjoy views of Washington’s skyline and monuments, and the nearby attractions of Maryland’s National Harbor.

WHERE TO EAT

The city’s culinary scene approaches the ethos of modernizing its history with gusto; Virtue Feed & Grain, located on the waterfront in a former feed house from the 1800s, was among the first in a wave of restaurants to intentionally blend old and new when it opened in 2011. Other spots don’t need to work as hard for a lived-in, local feel. Gadsby’s Tavern on Royal Street has served patrons in Old Town Alexandria since 1770.

SAVE THE DATE

Start the 275th anniversary celebration a month early at the free Portside in Old Town Summer Festival (which concurrently hosts the ALX Jazz Fest), Friday, June 21, and Saturday, June 22.

Old Town Alexandria’s a er r as e efi ed r m a e s rism.

Old Town armers ar e

“My vacay was

Practice of Joy

A laughter yoga class can be humorous and healing

By Haley Bartel

Yoga is more than just a good stretch — it is an ancient practice that holds the ability to significantly improve one’s life. Researchers from various institutions have found practicing yoga can reduce stress and anxiety, and improve sleep and mental health.

“You’re doing something to elevate the body,” says Sandra Byrd, a life and spiritual coach in Richmond. “Your yoga practice is meant just for you.”

Byrd's practice comes with a funny twist: Once a week, she leads laughter yoga, a practice that prompts emotional release through controlled, intentional breathing. Byrd has taught the class at Living Water Community Center for a year. Students include workplace colleagues, military veterans and senior citizens.

“Laughter yoga is very freeing. It’s very nonjudgmental; you just get to be weird and silly,” says Serenity Rowland says, who joined Byrd’s class with her sister, Faith, on a whim. ey've since become regulars.

At first, the pair were unsure of what to expect. “We were kind of like, ‘Are we just gonna be doing regular yoga while someone’s up there doing standup comedy?’ And then we were like, ‘What if they’re not funny?’” Faith says.

Byrd starts classes with what she calls a gratitude breath. “I do an eight-count inhale, hold for four and exhale through the mouth with a sigh,” she says. Byrd has a breathwork certification, which she uses to inform and guide her classes.

From there, the class moves to active stretches like rolling the shoulders, tensing up and le ing go and shaking out the legs. Once the stretching is done, the laughter begins.

Byrd leads students through a guided session that prompts them to laugh in myriad ways, from Santa Claus chuckles to high-pitched giggling, repetitively and consistently. "You just let yourself go; it’s a space that is safe, and it has been so helpful with my anxiety,” Serenity says.

Instead of preplanning each class, Byrd lets her students’ emotions guide the class. Sometimes, it looks like aggressive, firm, repetitive laughter. Other times, everyone appears to be throwing temper tantrums on the floor.

“If it goes in a certain direction, she’ll just go with it,” Faith says. “One night, it turned into scream yoga, and we were just screaming and screaming until that turned into more laughter.”

Class ends with a grounding meditation session where students sit still in silence.

“She leads us in gratitude meditation, and we always give ourselves hugs when we start it, and I’ve been doing that every morning now,” Serenity says. “It’s really comforting.”

Byrd promotes this reclamation of joy

and self-love outside of laughter yoga, too. “We have go en to a point where we don’t see the value in joy,” she says. While she understands that laughter yoga is not going to appeal to all, the rewards are great enough to encourage others to give it a try. “I want everyone to encompass laughter yoga in their life,” she says. R

Giggle For Your Own Good

Laughter yoga combines breathwork, meditation and intuitive movement from yoga with laughter therapy. The science of laughter therapy is rooted in brain chemistry. Researchers from Harvard Medical School have found that the brain benefits from both genuine and simulated laughter, and laughter therapy can mitigate stress hormones like cortisol.

Byrd offers her class at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays. The class is $10, and signups are available through meetup.com. You can find more information about the class at sandeebyrd.com.

Sandee Byrd [center] uses play and mimicry to promote laughter in her class.

Unwrapping an unbelievable year believable

Parenthood can be unpredictable – filled with life’s greatest and toughest moments. At the Children’s Tower, we’re here to help you during both.

Celebrating one year in the Children’s Tower and 104 years of care at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

Words by Nicole Cohen, Don Harrison, Davy Jones and Christine Winder

SUMMER ARTS PLANNER

HEAD OUTSIDE FOR 123 DAYS OF ENTERTAINMENT

The Mother’s Day Concert by the Richmond Concert Band at Agecroft Hall & Gardens promises "a little something different" for this year. Celebrate mom and treat her to some tunes with a “Holiday Inn” theme. 6 to 7:30 p.m. Free. agecrofthall.org

The Lebanese Food Festival at Saint Anthony Maronite Church in Glen Allen, runs May 17-19 and features an array of traditional foods from Lebanon. Free. lebanesefood festival.com

As the weather heats up, so does the outdoor entertainment season. From amphitheater concerts to festivals on Brown’s Island, the River City offers plenty for a fun-filled summer vacation. Grab your day planners and mark your calendars for upcoming attractions May through August, referencing Richmond magazine’s sample planner on the following pages.

Butcher Brown, Deau Eyes, and Mikrowaves are among the local acts playing at Main Line Brewery’s DayDream Fest. Artisans and food vendors will be on hand, along with lots of brews. 1 to 11 p.m. $30 to $40. mainlinerva.com

Join “The Line Dance Prince” Carlos Vieira Jr. for the kickoff of free summer instruction at 17th Street Market. Hosted every third Wednesday throughout the season, no experience is required to join. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. facebook. com/17thStreetMarket

The Richmond Symphony string quartet will fill The Valentine’s garden with classical compositions for a special presentation. 6 to 7 p.m. Free. thevalentine.org

Richmond’s premier summer concert series, Friday Cheers, opens with a night of nouveau roots music from country chanteuse Bella White and Colby T. Helms & The Virginia Creepers. Brown’s Island. 6 to 9:30 p.m. $10 to $15. venturerichmond.com

The Richmond Shakespeare Festival presents “Much Ado About Nothing” on the grounds of Agecroft Hall & Gardens. The play runs May 23June 23. 7:30 p.m. $40. richmondshakespeare.org

Derby Day Party, hosted by Kelli Lemon and DJ Lonnie B, features performances, activities and a screening of the Kentucky Derby.

Enjoy beach music at Pocahontas State Park when The Embers, featuring Craig Woolard, open the 2024 season of Pocahontas Premieres at the park’s Heritage Amphitheater. 7 to 10 p.m. $15. dcr.virginia.gov

The Groovin’ in the Garden series returns to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden with a performance by Richmond favorites Carbon Leaf. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. 7 to 10 p.m. $38. lewisginter.org

Richmond gospel stalwarts The Legendary Ingramettes headline the latest eclectic installment of RVA Music Night at Friday Cheers. Brown’s Island. 6 to 9:30 p.m. $10 to $15. venture richmond.com

The Training Center. 4 to 9 p.m. $65 (VIP packages available). procfoundation.org

Bring a lawn chair or blanket and swoon to the swing jazz vocal stylings of Good Shot Judy, performing on the new outdoor stage at The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen. 3 to 5 p.m. $20. artsglenallen.com

Dominion Energy Riverrock (May 17-19) features biking, trail runs, adventure games and topnotch local performers. Brown’s Island and Belle Isle. Free for spectators (competition fees are $20 to $140). riverrockrva.com

Goals

• Make a summer festival schedule.

• Plan ahead for all weather conditions.

• Get hyped!

*Remember to bring lawn chair and blanket for concerts on the grass.

Check out the Richmond Symphony’s Big Tent free community concerts hosted throughout RVA.

$ Set an entertainment budget. The average cost per local outdoor event = $33.

The influential, Richmond-connected rock band Drive-By Truckers will stop at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s Groovin’ in the Garden series. 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. $39. lewisginter.org

request when you could physically fling it onstage?

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s Groovin’ in the Garden series continues with singer-songwriter Ben Folds and his Paper Airplane Request Tour. 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. $51. lewisginter.org

Part of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s 40th anniversary celebration, experience “Flourish: Grace Arents Victorian Garden Tour.” Learn about the shift in gardening styles during the Victorian era. 10 to 11:30 a.m. $22. lewisginter.org

The Elegba Folklore

Society hosts Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration, a tribute to the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. June 22-23 at the Manchester Docks and the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground. $TBA. efsinc.org

The Willie Nelson-endorsed, pompadoured country crooner Dale Watson performs with His Lonestars at Get Tight Lounge’s back patio stage. 7:30 p.m. $24. gettightrva.com

Grammy-winning pop and R&B powerhouse T-Pain will stop by Doswell for a “Mansion in Wiscansin Party” as part of the Atlantic Union Bank After Hours series at The Meadow Event Park. 6:30 p.m. $39 to $99. afterhoursconcert series.com

It’s strawberry season in Virginia!

Hailing from Agadez, Niger, Mdou Moctar is among the brightest stars in the world of Tuareg desert blues. He’ll bring his blistering guitar solos to Friday Cheers on Brown’s Island. 6 to 9:30 p.m. $10 to $15. venturerichmond.com

Head to RandolphMacon College for the Ashland Strawberry Faire, offering hundreds of food and craft vendors and plenty of the fruit that inspires this annual celebration. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. ashlandstrawberryfaire.com

Dogwood Dell’s Festival of the Arts

Maymont hosts its Summer Kickoff Festival June 7-8 with an expanded event including performances from Three Sheets to the Wind, Full Moon Fever, Bio Ritmo, Justin Golden and more. $20 per day ($10 ages 3-16). maymont.org

Fans of indie-folk with a moving sense of intimacy will want to head to Brown’s Island for Friday Cheers with Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners. Awardwinning local standout Deau Eyes will open the show. 6 to 9:30 p.m. $10 to $15. venturerichmond.com

Hanover Vegetable Farm’s Down on the Farm Concert Series will take on a throwback vibe when Monkey Fist takes the stage performing hits from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Time and cost TBA. hanovervegetablefarm.com

The Stone Soul Music and Food Festival, one of Richmond’s premiere urban contemporary events, returns to Brown’s Island with a mix of soul and R&B performances, DJs, food and local vendors. 2 p.m. $TBA. venturerichmond.com

67th season kicks off this month and features live music, theater, dance and special events, continuing through August.

The Adopt Haiti Project presents the fourth annual Caribbean American Heritage Festival at Dorey Park. The event is an energetic celebration of culture, food and musical styles like reggae, soca and dancehall. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free. ahpva.org

June is a great month to catch national talent in RVA, according to this calendar

Checklist

❑ Pick favorite events

❑ Invite friends

❑ Purchase tickets in advance

❑ Plan onsite dinners or at nearby restaurants

❑ Setup carpool or hop on the GRTC Pulse

On select days from July 13-28, Kings Dominion presents Grand Carnivale. This international festival includes food, games, crafts and the Spectacle of Color Parade. Included with park admission (tickets start at $40). kingsdominion.com

Support local businesses at Hardywood West Creek’s Christmas in July Artisan Market. Vendors will offer goods including home decor, art, jewelry, apparel and more under the venue’s outdoor tent. Noon to 5 p.m. Free. hardywood.com

Lamb of God and Mastodon stop at Virginia Credit Union Live at Richmond Raceway during their Ashes of Leviathan Tour. Kerry King and Malevolence will open the show at 6 p.m. $57 to $67. vaculive.com

Presented by WNRN, Faye Webster and julie take the stage at Brown’s Island as part of the LiVE Loud concert series. The show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $38. thebroadberry.com

Ashland’s July Fourth Parade & Celebration is

Catch fireworks around town. In Richmond, Dogwood Dell and The Diamond host celebrations. Outside the city, head to Doswell’s Kings Dominion, Chesterfield County Fairgrounds or Hardywood West Creek for patriotic fun.

The Oasis: A High Noon Summer Concert Series kicks off at The Valentine featuring a local musician performing in the museum’s garden. Noon to 1 p.m. Free. thevalentine.org

Closing out Richmond Shakespeare’s 25th anniversary season is “Doctor Faustus,” which follows an academic who sells his soul to the devil. Agecroft Hall & Gardens. July 4-21. 8 p.m. $40. richmondshakespeare.org

Tomato season kicks off this month!

The Hanover Tomato Festival celebrates the county’s famous fruit July 12-13 with a family and pet-friendly outdoor event at Pole Green Park. Enjoy tomato-focused cuisine, music and more. Free. hanovertomato festival.com

Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles celebrates fab songs from the iconic rock group in a performance for the Chesterfield After Hours series. 7 p.m., River City Sportsplex, Midlothian. $26 to $79. chesterfieldafterhours concerts.com

• Enjoy some great music.

• Nosh on food truck fare.

Richmond’s Trademark Band has been entertaining audiences for more than 30 years. This genre-mixing group performs everything from Motown to rock. Upper Shirley Vineyards. Charles City. 6 to 10 p.m. $25 to $30. uppershirley.com

• Purchase handmade crafts.

• Get some sun!

Enjoy music, shop sidewalk sales, explore art exhibits and dine outdoors during Ashland Fourth Fridays. This outdoor experience runs May through September. Downtown Ashland. 5 to 8 p.m. Free. ashlandvirginia.com

Richmond-based punk rockers Avail return to headline Over the James 2024. This annual outdoor concert features a top-notch roster of rock bands. Brown’s Island. The show starts at 4 p.m. $TBA. thebroadberry.com

*Remember Main Street Station’s summer concert series Music at Main features free Thursday evening performances.

$ Save money. There are plenty of free opportunities to enjoy some live music and outdoor fun around town including during recurring events such as Ashland Fourth Fridays, the Richmond Night Market at 17th Street Market and PopUp RVA at The Diamond.

The Carytown Watermelon Festival returns with sidewalk sales, music and all the sweet, sticky slices you can eat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free. carytownwater melonfestival.com

Perch up at Agecroft Hall & Gardens for a summer show with the Richmond Concert Band. Attendees are welcome to bring blankets, chairs and a picnic and enjoy the orchestral sounds. 6 to 7:30 p.m. Free. agecrofthall.org

The Richmond Jazz and Music Festival returns this month at Maymont!

Special Event! JTucker & The Krewe play Sounds of 17th Street on Aug. 16. The series runs every third Wednesday, May-October.

Part of the LiVE Loud Concert Series, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard play Brown’s Island. The Australian group’s difficult-to-define repertoire includes a variety of genres. 7 p.m. $53. thebroadberry.com

804 Day is a celebration of all things local with live music and performances on multiple stages. Plus, RVA vendors offer food, crafts and more. 17th Street Market. 4 to 9 p.m. Free. shockoerecords. com/804day

The Richmond International Dragon Boat Festival features colorful 40-foot-long canoes resembling dragons that race along the James River at Rocketts Landing. 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free for spectators. sportsbackers.org

Richmond-based Mashup is bringing the funk and rocking Hanover Vegetable Farm’s Down on the Farm Concert Series. The group is known for their high energy and electrifying performances. Time and cost TBA. hanover vegetablefarm.com

A rock master class, Primus, Coheed and Cambria, and Fishbone will take the stage at Virginia Credit Union Live at Richmond Raceway. The show starts at 7 p.m. $54.50 to $66.50. vaculive.com

The annual JamPacked Craft Beer & Music Festival is true to its name with a lineup packed of stellar performers and headlined by Michiganbased quintet Greensky Bluegrass. Brown’s Island. Gates open at 2:30 p.m. $45. jampackedfest.com

Academy of Country Music Award-winning singer-songwriter Cole Swindell performs at Atlantic Union Bank After Hours concert series at The Meadow Event Park in Doswell. 7 p.m. $31 to $129. afterhours concertseries.com

With more than 40 singles that have graced Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, Tracy Lawrence takes the Chesterfield After Hours stage at River City Sportsplex. 7 p.m. $21 to $99. chesterfieldafter hoursconcerts.com

The Chesterfield County Fair features everything from a medieval jousting competition to a rodeo. Music performances include Virginia favorites En’ Novation and Good Shot Judy. Aug. 23-31. $6 to $12. chesterfield countyfair.org

The 17th annual Latin Jazz and Salsa Festival brings Latin dancing and music to 17th Street Market. Attendees can learn a few moves during instructional workshops. Noon to 8 p.m. Free. oasisbroadcasting network.com

End of summer Checklist

❑ Make an event schedule

❑ Double check dates and times

❑ Plan a budget for tickets, food and swag ❑ Enjoy the final outdoor performances of the season!

Upcoming season subscriptions and not-to-miss shows

The Broadway in Richmond 2024-2025 season returns to the Altria Theater with the Tony Awardwinning musical “Shucked” Oct. 29-Nov. 3. Additional productions include “Mamma Mia!” (Dec. 10-15), “MJ” (Jan. 28-Feb. 2), “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” (March 4-16), “A Beautiful Noise” (April 15-20) and “Some Like it Hot” (June 3-8). The six-show subscriptions start at $295. “Chicago the Musical” is available as an add-on performance for subscribers and runs May 9-11, 2025. broadwayinrichmond.com

Center Season subscriptions go on sale in mid-June for The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen and include a create-your-own option. For the 18th year, the performance season brings theater, music and dance productions to the center. artsglenallen.com.

At the Firehouse Theatre, memberships are all-access passes to more than 170 nights of performances throughout the year, including Mainstage shows, resident company productions, fringe artists’ performances and new play development presentations. The full Mainstage season will be announced May 13; the opening production is “Peter and the Starcatcher” by Rick Elice. Early bird memberships for $270 are available until May 12. Beginning May 13, regular memberships are $300. firehousetheatre.org

Look for the new Richmond Ballet season announcement in May. Subscriptions to the full season, mixed repertory shows (which will relocate to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Leslie Cheek Theater in the 2024-2025 season) or a combination of all performances will be available starting at $83. There will be opportunities throughout the season to join Q&A sessions and post-performance receptions with staff, performers and choreographers. richmondballet.com

The Richmond Symphony’s 2024-2025 Symphony Series subscriptions are on sale now starting at $288. The package includes eight concerts plus one StradFest performance, and additional special shows can be added. Summer ChamberFest subscriptions are also currently available at $100 to $120. Pops and other series subscriptions as well as composeyour-own packages will be offered soon. Check out richmondsymphony.com for more information.

This month, stay tuned to Richmond Triangle Players’ website, rtriangle.org, for the 2024-2025 season announcement. The theater company is celebrating 32 years as one of Virginia’s most illustrious arts institutions and the longest operated LGBTQ+ theater in the mid-Atlantic. Subscriptions will be available in May.

Swift Creek Mill Theatre will announce the 20242025 MainStage productions during a special Mother’s Day brunch on May 12. Celebrate mom with food and cocktails and learn about the five shows coming to the stage. Tickets are $30. Early bird subscriptions are on sale for $150. After Aug. 30, season subscriptions are $185. Flex passes are also available that allow for creating a custom performance bundle. For more information, visit swiftcreekmill.com

Be on the lookout for the University of Richmond’s Modlin Center for the Arts’ 2024-2025 season announcement at the end of May. Series packages go on sale in June. Visit modlin.richmond.edu for more information.

Season subscriptions are now available for Virginia Repertory Theatre’s three production series. The Signature Season at the November Theatre opens with “Misery” (Aug. 31-Sept. 29), then takes audiences to “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (Nov. 29-Jan. 5), presents a unique collaboration with Norfolk’s Virginia Stage Company in a co-production of “Fat Ham” (March 1-23) and ends with “Waitress” (June 21-Aug. 3, 2025). The Barksdale Season at Hanover Tavern presents “Moriarty” (Dec. 13-Jan. 19) and “Dial M for Murder” (March 29-April 27). The Family Season at the Virginia Rep Center for Arts and Education features three shows based on beloved books: “Grace for President” (Oct. 12-Nov. 3), “Love That Dog” (Feb. 8-March 25) and “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” (April 19-May 11, 2025). For more information, visit virginiarep.org R

COURTESY BROADWAY IN RICHMOND

The classic boxed lunch from Sally Bell’s

FOR 100 YEARS, RICHMONDERS HAVE FOUND COMFORT THROUGH SALLY BELL’S BAKED GOODS AND BOXED LUNCHES

In a world where change is the only constant, it feels as if time has stopped at Sally Bell’s Kitchen. Its cheesy pecan wafers, waxed-paper-wrapped deviled eggs and lovingly iced upside-down cupcakes taste the same as they did when the restaurant was founded in the 1920s. They are experts in simple joys — the proof is in the sweet-pickleadorned potato salad that has been gracing holiday tables for generations.

The iconic Richmond restaurant celebrates its centennial in 2024, the spirit and Southern delicacies of founder and namesake Sarah “Sallie” Cabell Jones living on through time-honored recipes, safeguarded in a li le green notebook that’s still referenced today.

By Eileen Mellon

Photos by Justin Chesney

Sally Bell’s is a part of Richmond history, a nostalgic tradition that has been embedded in the city’s culture for 100 years.

Generations have grown up going to the standby, first taken by their grandparents and now bringing their own children. Employees have been known to stick around for 50 or 60 years, and the James Beard Award-winning business has never le the family. Although there have been a few changes, including moving locations and discovering a speedier way to wrap deviled eggs, not much is new — and that’s part of its lasting charm.

A FAMILY STORY

“I’m kind of in my second calling,” says Scott Jones, 71, with an easy smile as he sits in a booth at the Broad Street eatery. Formerly in industrial sales, Jones and his wife, Martha, Sally Bell’s current matriarch, bought the business in 2015. But that’s not to say they’re new around there. Pointing to a framed picture on the wall of the restaurant, Scott says, “That’s my great-aunt on my father’s side, ‘Sallie’ Cabell Jones.”

While Sco has early memo-

ries of being summoned into the kitchen to peel potatoes around the holidays or living above the restaurant in college, Martha married into the business. She recently retired, but Scott says, “Martha was the one who ran this place for 35, 36 years.”

Before them, Sco ’s parents, Hunter and Marcyne “Cene” Jones, owned Sally Bell’s for over 50 years. Many family members may not have aspired to make a life in the restaurant industry, but the decades they’ve dedicated to

[From left] Sally Bell’s team members Martha Jones, Sarah Byrne Jones, Scott Jones, Billy Thompson and Shannon Childers

growing and preserving Sally Bell’s proves it’s more than chance.

The institution was originally started by Sarah “Sallie” Cabell Jones, whom the family called Cabell. One of seven siblings, she never married or had children. Instead, she had her family and her business. “I guess this was her life,” Sco says.

A REVOLUTIONARY IDEA

An entrepreneur with a knack for numbers, Jones met her future business partner Elizabeth Lee Milton, a talented baker, at the Richmond Exchange for Woman’s Work. It was a private organization where women could sell homemade goods to earn money. The duo combined their names and debuted Sarah Lee’s Kitchen in 1924 in a brick building at 701 W. Grace St.

The duo’s goal was to make simple food from scratch — including mayonnaise and the signature salad dressing that spikes their deviled eggs and potato salad — and sell their goods wholesale to grocers and restaurants. Women had been granted the right to vote just four years prior, so the idea was revolutionary. “Here’s a lady in her late 20s, early 30s, you know, women’s suffrage was going on, and they started this business,” says Sco .

Five years later, Milton moved to New York, and Jones became the sole proprietor. She then switched to retail offerings and introduced a takeout counter, hung a sign in front of the shop with the logo of a woman holding a basket, and had the name copyrighted and patented.

She sold a range of baked goods: sweet potato and mincemeat pies, beaten biscuits, tarts, cookies, cakes and more. But Sarah Lee’s Kitchen quickly became known for its boxed lunches, the unofficial Richmond Happy Meal. Lined with checkerboard-patterned waxed paper, the bundle of comfort is packed with five items: a sandwich, such as the famed Smithfield ham, pimento cheese or chicken salad served on a roll; a cup of

potato or macaroni salad (introduced in the 1960s); a pecan-topped cheese wafer; a deviled egg and an icing-spackled upside-down cupcake. “We still use the boxed lunch,” says Sco . “I enlarged it by a half an inch here, quarter-inch there, just to make things fit a li le be er, but a lot of what Cabell did, we still do today.”

Besides Sarah Lee’s moving across the street to 708 W. Grace St. in 1951, not much changed until 1959, when Jones was issued a cease-and-desist order by a national pie company hoping to advertise in the Virginia market. Its name was Sara Lee’s.

Sco remembers four New York attorneys pulling up to his Ashland home in a “fancy” black car to negotiate with his father. “My dad said, ‘I gave them an offer, and I wanted it to be enough to take care of Cabell the rest of her life,’ and he said, ‘I laid awake that

cepted it,’ then he said, ‘Maybe I didn’t ask enough.’”

The business was reintroduced as Sally Bell’s Kitchen with an advertisement that read, “Same products, same location, same personnel.”

The original recipe book for Sally Bell’s

Sally Bell’s signature upside-down cupcakes me i a rs s as la e e ils d cake, strawberry or lemon with yellow batter.

SALLY’S STALWARTS

“Same personnel” would turn out to be a key to Sally Bell’s success. Many employees have stayed there for decades.

Most have also been women. Working there granted flexible schedules and, for some, the ability to balance a career with motherhood. Much like the Richmond Exchange for Woman’s Work that helped kick-start its founding, Sally Bell’s has been a place where women could embrace their independence, make money and have a sense of purpose.

Sarah Jones Byrne, Scott’s older sister, recalls working the register at Sally Bell’s as early as 13. She was named for her greataunt, whom she describes as hardworking, humble and highly respected. A er a ending college in North Carolina and living there for eight years, she moved back to Richmond and returned to Sally Bell’s. Their other sister, Sandra, worked there, too.

“I would say we were very much like a big family,” she says. “We cared about each other, and you know, we were there for each other; we needed to be. If someone was supposed to come to work and didn’t call, we were looking for them. We had a lot of single ladies working here … and they enjoyed their jobs and felt good about what they were doing. That’s an important thing in life.”

Bell’s in 1926, is a legend, however — a booth, second back from the register, is dedicated to her. Curtis’ daughter, Dazarie Thompson, worked there as well, and her grandson, Billy Thompson, 55, has been clocking in for nearly 30 years.

might as well go back to what I like doing,’” he says. “It’s been a long road, but I never had that feeling when you wake up in the morning like, ‘Oh God, I got to go in that place.’ Never had that feeling.”

Many employees spent their entire careers at Sally Bell’s. In a 1990s story from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, it was reported that 19 of 22 employees were over 50. Longtime Richmonders may remember Marie Morris, Anne Mulfinger, Mary Newcomb and Minnie Walker. Dorothy Daniels and Lucille Zimmerman, who each worked at Sally Bell’s into their 80s, and Sco says he still ices cupcakes the way Sarah Henderson did.

Estelle Curtis, who started at Sally

“My grandma is right here,” Thompson says, pointing to an old newspaper clipping of Curtis on the wall. “I don’t have a picture of my mother up here, but my mother’s been here 40, and I’ve been here 29. Might be this year that I hit 30. My grandma started when she was a teenager. She did her 60 years. They’ve been real good to my family, they really have.”

Thompson took a step back during the COVID-19 pandemic, but he returned this March. “I missed the place. I said, ‘Yeah, I

A BITTERSWEET MOVE

A er suffering a stroke that le her bedridden in the late 1960s, Jones sold the shop to her nephew, Hunter, and his wife, Cene. In 1983, at the age of 92, Jones passed away.

Sarah says of her mother stepping in, “Since she was working there and Cabell was teaching her what to do, I felt like it was a natural transition.”

“If she was a penny off, she would find

[Clockwise from top] A shadow box at Sally Bell’s showcases mementos; Sally Bell’s signature cheesy pecan wafers; CD Day making the famous potato salad.

that penny,” Sco adds of Cene. “She’d be ashamed of me now. I’m like, five bucks, we’re good, that’s a rounding error,” he adds with a chuckle.

In the mid 1980s, Cene began to step back from Sally Bell’s while retaining ownership; her daughter-in-law Martha took over the day-to-day operations. In 2014, Cene sat the family down a er

church and told them she wanted to sell the business and the building. Sco knew what Sally Bell’s meant to his wife. “I said, ‘Well, what about Martha? She’s put 35 years in there. Do we really want to close it?’ I thought there was a lot of value to it, I thought it had a lot of potential.”

In 2014, the family sold the building to Virginia Commonwealth University, and Sco and Martha purchased Sally Bell’s from Cene. In 2016, they bid farewell to Sally Bell’s longtime space on Grace Street, closing for a week before reopening at 2337 W. Broad St.

A LIVING LEGACY

Sally Bell’s may have a different address and a newer crew of workers, but the recipes, relics and checkered floor endure. The original Hobart mixer sits inside, the walls adorned with recipes, photos and a century’s worth of memories.

There is, however, a slight feeling of melancholy that comes with reaching such a milestone. Many of the team members who paved the way have died, and Sco now runs with a squad of seven — the majority much younger than their predecessors, a casualty of life and the pandemic. “I’ve got really good staff right now,” Sco says. “They kind of embrace the personality and history of the place.”

General Manager Shannon Childers started working at Sally Bell’s four years ago a er seeing an ad on social media. Born and raised in Ashland, she previously worked in emergency medical services. On one of her first days, she realized the potato salad her grandparents served every year during the holidays was from her new job. “I didn’t really know it was Sally Bell’s until I got here and tasted it,” she says. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s like a childhood nostalgia.’ It was pre y special.”

Every morning Childers arrives around

6:30 a.m. and preps the to-do lists for the crew. They average 50 to 150 preorders a day. Deviled eggs take two to three hours to make, and pecan wafers remain a lengthy, multistep process. When everybody else arrives, they know their duties and and get into a flow.

Childers says she’s happy at Sally Bell’s and respects the legacy. “It’s very special, especially with it being so many women that kind of paved the way here. I feel proud, but also, because we are such a tightknit family, it’s kind of cool to carry on the traditions and recipes — making recipes that are 100 years old,” she says.

In the past decade, Sally Bell’s has returned to its roots, selling wholesale to stores such as Tom Leonard’s, Libbie Market and Good Foods Grocery and expanding into Charleston, South Carolina.

In 2015, the restaurant received The James Beard Foundation America’s Classic award, given “to restaurants with timeless appeal, each beloved in its region for quality food that reflects the character of its community.”It was the first restaurant in Virginia to receive the honor.

“It’s an incredible story and comforting to know that things can stay the same,” Sco says. “A lot of people have said that.”

“Every transition has been based on what Cabell started and wanting to continue what she started, and I think that’s been quite successful, and it’s because of her vision of having good food, tasty food,” Sarah says.

Both Scott and Sarah have granddaughters named for their great-aunt.

In the coming months, Sally Bell’s plans to reintroduce desserts and menu items that have faded with time, including cinnamon buns, cookies and muffins. Sco says the specials are an ode to their founder, a way to commemorate the centennial and a thank-you to loyal patrons.

“I’ve been lucky,” Sco says. “I think people were happy that we didn’t close. We’ve had so many people tell us, ‘We’re glad you’re here.’ You can’t pitch a perfect frame every time, but I think our quality and consistency speak for themselves.” R

SCORE!

A NEW WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM – THE RICHMOND IVY –PREPARES FOR THE PITCH

Get ready, Richmond: There’s a new team in town.

The Richmond Ivy Soccer Club takes the pitch at City Stadium on May 11 for its inaugural match with a roster of collegiate players from Richmond, Manakin-Sabot, Glen Allen, Midlothian and beyond.

The Ivy is part of the Richmond Kickers organization and will play in the United Soccer League’s pre-professional W League, launched in 2022. The “pre-professional” designation means the players are participating without wages but with paid coaching and administrative staff, as well as covered travel and kit costs.

By Paula Peters Chambers

JESSICA STONE HENDRICKS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY THE RICHMOND IVY SOCCER CLUB

Kiley Fitzgerald, a rising junior at University of Richmond and a Richmond United alumna, joined the inaugural Ivy squad as a midfielder.

The goal, according to the Kickers’ front office, is for the Ivy to give collegiate players the chance to compete against new opponents during the summer and perhaps prepare themselves for a future in professional soccer, whether as players, coaches or administrators.

“Soccer can be a platform to open doors,” says Ivy head coach and Richmond native Kimmy Cummings. “I want young women to feel the kind of love around the game that they deserve. I want young females in the stands to see themselves on the pitch in the future, to think ‘I can coach one day,’ to see all the different roles and make it real for them.”

Forwards

Ivy players are just old enough to remember the Richmond Kickers Destiny, the semiprofessional women’s team that competed here from 2004 to 2009 in the United Soccer League’s W-League. That league operated from 1995 to 2015, giving elite amateurs the chance to play alongside professionals from other countries while maintaining their college eligibility.

During its six-season run, the Richmond Destiny showcased talented players including Becky Sauerbrunn, who went on to win two World Cup titles and serve as the U.S. Women’s Nationals Team captain, and the University of Virginia’s Nikki Krzysik, Chantel Jones and Sinead Farrelly. Cummings played for the Destiny, then went on to serve as head coach for two Richmond United teams in the Kickers’ elite program for young contenders seeking college or professional careers.

Cummings hopes the Ivy can inspire the next generation of players.“I want anyone and everyone I come into contact with to love soccer as much as I do,” she says. “I think about where soccer was when I was growing up, and man, would I kill to be playing right now. The investment in this area in soccer is exponential for what it was. What a time to be a young female playing soccer in Richmond.”

Kicko

The USL W League debuted with 44 teams in 20 states, playing games from mid-May to mid-July. “When we set out to build the [new] W League, we saw it as an opportunity to play the game and to support the game, [which are] byproducts of the movement to increase the opportunity to be involved in the sport,” says Joel Nash, USL senior vice president for youth and pre-professional leagues. “We want players, clubs and fans to see the professional potential of these players.”

Nash says the U.S. women’s national soccer team’s success has inspired young athletes, but the path to professional play is complicated. “Where USL wants to excel — in any and all of our platforms and leagues — is to support a player’s journey … which is never linear,” he says. “There are great successes followed by fallbacks. There’s a really big gap from being a high schooler to playing pro [soccer]. The majority of professionals are now elite collegiate players. The W League is that bridge. We want players to see the league as a step up from what they’ve experienced, where they have the best chance to play professionally, or it can be a capstone to their career, something they cherish.”

This summer the W League will have 80 teams across the country playing in four conferences, each with geographically determined divisions. The Ivy will play in the Mid-Atlantic division, with the Charlo esville Blues and Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Inferno — also league newcomers — as well asChristos FC (Baltimore), Eagle FC (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania), Northern Virginia FC (Leesburg), Patuxent FA (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) and Virginia Marauders FC (Winchester).

“We want the right number of clubs in each division, so the clubs aren’t traveling extensively to compete — a condensed footprint,” Nash says. “The biggest asset for U.S. soccer is the size of our country, but that’s also a challenge.”

Another challenge is finding the right

ownership group for league teams. “It’s about having a certain amount of structure or guardrails that we know will make a successful W League club,” Nash says.

As one of the longest continuously running professional soccer clubs in the country — and with a decades-long relationship with the USL — the Kickers were asked to join the W League at its inception. “We wanted to see if the timing was right for them,” Nash says.

It wasn’t then, but it is now.

row-in

The Richmond Kickers organization is run by a group known as 22 Holdings, which bought the club in late 2018. The bland name conceals the soccer firepower found in the ownership team, which is helmed by local legend Rob Ukrop.

Richmond native Ukrop played for the Kickers in 1993, their first season, and then played on U.S. national teams and professionally until retiring in 2004. He was also on the 1992 Davidson College men’s soccer squad that advanced to the NCAA Final Four. A er a 2018 reunion celebrating that run, Ukrop and four teammates decided to go into business together and bought the Kickers. “We have an energy executive from D.C., two guys in private equity and a dermatologist,” he says.

When Nash initially approached Ukrop about joining the new W League, the answer was no.

“We wanted to make sure we were on solid footing for the men’s pro team, so we passed on the first two years [of the W League],” Ukrop says. What finally tipped the scales was the W League’s expansion over its first two years. “Travel is a killer part of our league,” Ukrop continues. “We knew the women’s team had to be a bus league to be close to ASH

[financially] sustainable. Now, Lancaster is our farthest trip.”

Ukrop sees the W League as a multidimensional opportunity, offering more than might be readily apparent. “The W League is a chance for kids to connect with young women players, to aspire to,” he says. “It’s also good for women coming out of the spring college season to have a chance to stay fit before they head back to college. And the team gives us six more nights at City Stadium, which we think is good for the community. In the past, we’ve done 200 events in a year at the stadium, which has an incredible history. That brings people together.”

Ukrop says the Kickers’ success can be traced to strong leadership that includes president and COO Camp Peery, and men’s head coach Darren Sawatzky. For the Ivy, the Kickers’ first hire was sporting director Madeline McCracken.

She played for Richmond United and the Richmond Strikers, competed on two college teams, and played professionally for DSC Arminia Bielefeld in Germany from 2020 to 2023.

“She’s hard-working, understood the game,” Ukrop says. “She’s come in and worked on the men’s side with registration, training sessions and the environment we’re trying to create. She’s the rock star here, doing the heavy li ing. It’s hard when you’re trying to build this thing out.”

McCracken says the offer to return to Richmond was one she couldn’t pass up. “Coming back home to Richmond has been a dream come true,” she says, noting that her days as a player were coming to a close. “I was looking to transition to the equipment world in sports, but I knew immediately this was something I had to do. This is a city with passionate people

who love soccer, who love the game.”

Plus, she says, the Richmond Kickers organization has a foundation the Richmond Ivy can rely on. “They’ve got a wonderful formula here of being honest with players, where coaches truly care about you,” she says. “This is a healthy environment for players to thrive and succeed in. We’re looking forward to bringing these players in and exposing them to a higher level [of competition], which is good for their development. We’re hoping to set them up for more success in the future for what they want to do, on and off the soccer field.”

Substitutions

McCracken and Cummings worked together to find players, scouting at nearby colleges and reaching out to locals who may compete farther away

[From left] The Ivy’s sporting director, Madeline McCracken, and head coach, Kimmy Cummings

during the school year. At press time, 14 players had commi ed, with at least one player for every position.

“We’ve been very strategic in the way we’re building this team,” McCracken says. “We want a team the region connects with and understands. A lot of our players are from the region and have played with Richmond United and the Kickers. They’ve grown up in this system. Many will come home and stay with families; if they come from out of market, they might have college housing [in place].”

Those connections are essential for the team to coalesce in a short period of time. “Culture is so important,” Cummings says, noting that she’s coached many of the players on previous teams. “They have a feel for how I run a team and what’s important to me. I don’t want a player rolling in one minute in advance [of practice]. The

atmosphere is professional.”

As for players’ current collegiate loyalties, Cummings isn’t worried. “Being part of a team involves conflict,” she says. “How we manage through that is incredibly important. They’ve played together before and want to play together again and be part of this team.”

McCracken adds, “We all bring something different to the table, whether on the soccer field or place of work or organization. It’s important to have different personalities to be challenged in a positive way. I’m sure there will be jokes here and there, because a lot of [the players] have grown up together. At our two combines, players have been jumping and hugging [one another]. They’re so excited to see each other again. When we’re all together, it’s one team, one city.”

The enthusiasm is happening beyond the field, too,

McCracken says, noting that more than 600 “Founders Club” memberships were sold before the season began. A brand reveal at Hardywood Park Cra Brewery’s Richmond taproom a racted hundreds of fans who posed for pictures in front of a wall of faux ivy with the team’s crest and happily waited in a winding line for a chance to scoop up team merchandise. “There’s been such great support and response from the community,” McCracken says. “People want to be a part of the inaugural season.”

The Ivy’s first practice is on May 1 and its first game May 11. Ticket prices range from single-day general admission of $12 (in advance) and $17 (day of) to reserved midfield club seats at $30 or $35. A $90 package includes all six home games plus Ivy merch: a T-shirt, scarf and magnet. The Kickers also sell a City Stadium+ membership for $50 annually that includes perks and additional savings off ticket prices.

No double-headers with the Kickers are planned, because the goal is for both teams to be celebrated equally, despite the men being paid professional players while the women are not. “[The Richmond Ivy] should feel on level footing” with the men’s team, Cummings says. “The only difference for us should be the colors on the field and the colors in the stands. Yes, we could pull from some men’s fans, but four-plus hours of soccer is a lot of soccer for a lot of people. We want to give each [team] their own platform and ability for fans to support their team.”

Starters

Christopher Newport University forward Madie Vincent will play for the Ivy this year, alongside CNU teammate midfielder Hanna Heaton. Vincent, a Smithfield native, commuted during high school to play with Richmond United and sees the Richmond Ivy as a homecoming.

“I can be er my game and make new connections; [this is] an [opportunity for players to come together] in the summer from all over the country,” Vincent says. “I’m excited to get involved in the

McCracken and Cummings, with the assistance of a young fan, display the new Ivy jersey at the club’s brand launch party, March 13 at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery.

community. Richmond has felt like home for years now. Some of my best friends live in Richmond.”

While Vincent is working toward a biology degree with a concentration in kinesiology and considering medical school, she remains commi ed to soccer. “I have loved soccer since the age of 3, and I don’t see that going anywhere. If an opportunity arises, I don’t want to have any regrets. I know this Richmond team will compete for the No. 1 spot [in the league].”

McCracken and Cummings hope to help Richmond Ivy players find and secure opportunities. “We have a duty to care for these players,” McCracken says. “We have them for a short period of time and want to develop them on and off the soccer field. In the W League, they can be scouted and seen from a young age. We’re hoping to get them excited about what can be on the soccer field and off the soccer field, as well. If players are interested in internships and the community, we want to put them on this path and make it easier for them.

“We truly are building something from the ground up,” she continues. “We’re all working together to leave a legacy and make [the Richmond Ivy] something the people of Richmond are really proud of.” R

IVY: CREATING THE CREST

The Kickers hired Alex Kocher, creative director at locally based Easy Friday Co., to develop the Richmond Ivy brand. “We first discussed the ideas and themes that we felt represented Richmond and that helped us align on a set of values for the club,” Kocher said in a statement.

“Every decision along the way — from the name, to

color, font selection and iconography — were guided by these common ideas.”

The club’s manifesto cites “the bonds of Ivy’s twisting vines” throughout the city. Ivy is said to be “elegant and beautiful … creative and tenacious … always striving for greatness, overcoming obstacles and climbing ever higher.”

These ideals are represented by the club’s shield, which is deep green and brick orange with an upward-reaching vine. The points on the leaves represent both Richmond’s seven hills and the 11 athletes on the pitch, while subtle arches echo James River bridges. The club’s inaugural year, 2024, also figures in the design.

Forward Madie Vincent played with Richmond United during high school and sees joining the Ivy as a homecoming.

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At Hermitage Richmond, you’ll enjoy a relaxed, close-knit community with everything you could want to live life your way, with a secure plan for the future. You’ll have peace of mind knowing a continuum of high-quality services is here for you on our campus, including Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Support and Nursing. We also offer complete rehabilitation services with licensed physical, occupational, and speech therapists so you can keep doing what you do best — being you.

Experience the freedom and excitement of new possibilities and stay connected to all you love!

Our new Anchor Cove Neighborhood, designed perfectly for today’s seniors, will sit on 15 acres adjoining our campus and feature the latest in modern living. Anchor Cove Neighborhood will feature 27 terrace homes with garages and 12 luxury villa apartments with covered parking, plus a brand new community center with a state of the art theater, art and music studios. This will be a wonderful entertainment center just outside your door! Come reserve your new home today!

Since 1847, Hollywood Cemetery has served as a place of remembrance and respite within the Richmond community. While it is a historical site, the initial purpose of Hollywood Cemetery’s founders continues. Numerous burial options are available throughout 135 acres of natural hills and valleys, including lots, cremation niches, and a scattering garden. Making arrangements in advance is a wonderful way to give you and your family peace of mind both now and in the future. Contact our office at 804-6488501 for available burial options within Hollywood Cemetery.

Photo by Bill Draper Photography

SPOTSYLVANIA

Ready for a new kind of adventure? Located less than an hour’s drive north of Richmond, Spotsylvania County offers a harmonious blend of rural landscapes and outdoor adventures all in a setting as unique as its name. Spotsylvania is a one-of-a-kind destination, offering boating, water sports and fishing on Lake Anna; award-winning wineries, breweries and a world-famous distillery; diverse dining, music and the arts; as well as scenic walks along endless miles of trails nestled among historic battlefields and landscapes. Visit Spotsy and get away from the demands of everyday life without venturing too far from home.

With its mix of landmarks, attractions, spirits, outdoor adventures and trails, you are sure to FIND YOUR SPOT in Spotsylvania!

VISITSPOTSY.COM

Super Lawyers +Emeritus Counsel ^Firm Administrator

Helping their clients move forward during uncertain times is what drives the attorneys at Barnes & Diehl, P.C. They have a passion for family law matters and focus on their clients’ needs now and in the future. Covering all aspects of family law, including complex divorce & separation, same-sex issues, equitable

they strive to be leaders in the study and

for their clients.

SELECTION PROCESS

Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a patented multiphase selection process.*

The objective is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel. We limit the lawyer ratings to those who can be hired and retained by the public, i.e., lawyers in private practice and Legal Aid attorneys.

The Super Lawyers selection process involves the steps outlined in the graphic (at right).

LEARN MORE SuperLawyers.com/SelectionProcess QUESTIONS? SL-Research@thomsonreuters.com

visit SuperLawyers.com

Search for an attorney by practice area and location, and read features on attorneys selected to our lists.

DISCLAIMER:

TOP 50 RICHMOND

AN ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF THE LAWYERS WHO RANKED TOP OF THE LIST IN THE 2024 VIRGINIA SUPER LAWYERS NOMINATION, RESEARCH AND BLUE RIBBON REVIEW PROCESS.

Barnes, Edward D.

Barton, Mollie C.

Bishop, Gregory R.

Boehm, Sarah B.

Broughton, Turner A.

Brown, Steven D.

Brown, Tyler P.

Bucci, M. Scott

Buckner, Elliott M.

Cillo, Julie M.

Cook, Deanna D.

Corrigan, David P.

Davis, Ashley T.

Davis, Craig B.

Diehl, Lawrence D.

Dinkin, William J.

Ewing, Michael S.

Fain, III, Hugh M.

Faraci, Sr., Stephen M.

Fowler, Jr., Calvin W.

Friend, Melanie A.

Grana, Stephanie E.

Graves, Terrence L.

Guare, Timothy H.

Harless, Warren David

Harper, Stephen T.

Hux, Paul D.

HuYoung, Michael

Jones, Brian H.

Kilduff, William B.

Konvicka, Jason W.

Long, Bridget N.

Macturk, Christopher H.

Malone, Christopher M.

OUR PATENTED SELECTION PROCESS

NOMINATIONS

Diverse list of the top attorneys nominated by their own peers

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH

Evaluated by third-party research across 12 key categories

EVALUATION

Reviewed by a highly credentialed Blue Ribbon Panel of attorneys

FINAL SELECTION PEER

2.5% of attorneys selected to Rising Stars 5% of attorneys selected to Super Lawyers

*U.S. Pat. No. 8,412,564

McCauley, Kathleen M.

McLemore, Jennifer M.

Mueller, Michael D.

Nanavati, Mark C.

Owens, Mary Burkey

Powers, Charles E.

Quinn, Colleen Marea

Reinhardt, Andrew J.

Rogers, Nancy N.

Sampson, Craig W.

Seltzer, Cullen D.

Stiles, Andrea R.

Theobald, James W.

Wellman, Stanley P.

Westermann, Robert

Windsor, Laura D.

Alternative Dispute Resolution ..........................S-3

Antitrust Litigation ..............................................S-3

Appellate .............................................................S-3

Banking ................................................................S-3

Bankruptcy: Business ..........................................S-3

Bankruptcy: Consumer........................................S-3

Business Litigation ..............................................S-3

Business/Corporate ...........................................S-4

Civil Litigation: Defense .....................................S-4

Civil Litigation: Plaintiff ......................................S-4

Civil Rights ..........................................................S-4

Class Action/Mass Torts ....................................S-4

Construction Litigation ......................................S-4

Consumer Law....................................................S-4

Creditor Debtor Rights .......................................S-4

Criminal Defense ................................................S-4

Criminal Defense: DUI/DWI...............................S-5

Criminal Defense: White Collar .........................S-5

Elder Law ............................................................S-5 .........................................S-5

Employment Litigation: Defense .......................S-5

Employment Litigation: Plaintiff .......................S-5 ..............................S-5 ....................................S-6 ................................S-6

Family Law..........................................................S-6

General Litigation................................................S-7

Health Care..........................................................S-7

Insurance Coverage ............................................S-8

Intellectual Property ..........................................S-8

Intellectual Property Litigation ..........................S-8

Land Use/Zoning ...............................................S-8 ......................................S-8

Personal Injury General: Defense ......................S-8

Personal Injury General: Plaintiff.......................S-8

Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense ............................................................S-9

Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff ............................................................S-9

Personal Injury Products: Defense ....................S-9

Personal Injury Products: Plaintiff .....................S-9

Real Estate .........................................................S-9 ..........................................S-9 .........................S-9

Securities Litigation............................................S-9

Social Security Disability ....................................S-9 ....................................S-9

Tax.......................................................................S-9

Technology Transactions ...................................S-9

Transportation/Maritime ..................................S-10

Utilities ...............................................................S-10

Workers’ Compensation ....................................S-10

BY PRIMARY AREA OF PRACTICE

The list was finalized as of October 20, 2023. Only attorneys who data verified with Super Lawyers for the current year are included on the list that follows. All current selections and any updates to the list (e.g., status superlawyers.com.

RED indicate a profile on for attorneys with paid Super Lawyers or Rising Stars print advertisements.

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

SUPER LAWYERS

ANTITRUST LITIGATION

SUPER LAWYERS

APPELLATE

SUPER LAWYERS

804-414-1751

Lin, Elbert

McNew, Kyle

Thomas, Norman

RISING STARS

BANKING

RISING STARS

BANKRUPTCY: BUSINESS

SUPER LAWYERS

Browne, David

Page, Jr., Ronald

Pfeiffer, Loc

Westermann, Robert

RISING STARS

BANKRUPTCY: CONSUMER

SUPER LAWYERS

Slayton, Marshall

RISING STARS

BUSINESS LITIGATION

SUPER LAWYERS

Funk, Kevin Gould, Andrea

RISING STARS

Lifson, Roman

Feinman, Justin

Rust, Julia

BUSINESS/CORPORATE

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

Batalias, Marina

Dunnigan, John

RISING STARS

Clagett, Richard

Daily, Shannon

CIVIL LITIGATION: DEFENSE

SUPER LAWYERS

Kaseorg, Karissa

Matie, Danielle

Novak, Quinn

Webb, Andy

CIVIL LITIGATION: PLAINTIFF

RISING STARS

Enix, Barrett

CIVIL RIGHTS

SUPER LAWYERS

CLASS ACTION/MASS TORTS

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

CONSTRUCTION LITIGATION

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

Bleakley, Connor

CONSUMER LAW

SUPER LAWYERS

JOHN COLE GAYLE, JR.

THE CONSUMER LAW GROUP, P.C.

www.theconsumerlawgroup.com

CREDITOR DEBTOR RIGHTS

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

CRIMINAL DEFENSE

SUPER LAWYERS

HuYoung, Michael

Schulte, Tim

Quagliana, Rhonda

Whaley, David

RISING STARS

Baez, Jesse

Joyner, Jason

CRIMINAL DEFENSE: DUI/DWI

RISING STARS

Mattox, III, Richard

CRIMINAL DEFENSE: WHITE COLLAR

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

Brown, Alyson

Gabay, Barry

Henson, Andrew

Tyler, Crystal

RISING STARS

EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION: PLAINTIFF

SUPER LAWYERS

Allen, Robert

Antell, Zev

Komisin, Lindsey

Moore, Reilly

Siegner, Scott

Stiegler, Leah

Weaver, Amanda

EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION: DEFENSE

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

Tucker, Evan

ELDER LAW

SUPER LAWYERS

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

SUPER LAWYERS

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

SUPER LAWYERS

Schooley, Jennifer

Freed, Robert SHERYL L. HERNDON HERNDON LAW

www.herndonlawva.com

ALEXANDER LAW GROUP, PLC

6435 Iron Bridge Road

Richmond, VA 23234

(804) 271-1969

info@alexanderlawgroupplc.com

alexanderlawgroupplc.com

RISING STARS

Josey, Sara

MASS TORTS

GENERAL PERSONAL INJURY

Emmet received his undergraduate degree from William & Mary in 1992 and graduated from the University of Virginia Law School in 1997. He has extensive experience dealing with insurance coverage issues and catastrophic injury cases, obtaining large settlements and verdicts in various types of cases, including medical malpractice, mass tort, products liability, and injury cases arising from tractor trailer crashes, automobile accidents and premises liability.

Mr. Alexander has been recognized to the Virginia Super Lawyers list and has been awarded an AV® rating by Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest rating granted to attorneys under the Martindale-Hubbell® system. This rating indicates that the attorney’s peers rank him to be practicing law at the highest levels of excellence.

In addition, Emmet has served as a 2020-2024 Board Member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.

Mr. Alexander is a member in good standing of the

Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, the National Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Association for Justice.

Sears, Catherine

Wall, Bennie

FAMILY LAW

SUPER LAWYERS Baines, Erik Bal, Nupur

CAROL A. N. BREIT

CAROL A. N. BREIT, ATTORNEY AT LAW

www.carolbreit.com

Cox, Morgan

Hunt, Mary

Selected to Super Lawyers

BARRY J. WALDMAN

www.waldman-law.com

RISING STARS

Allgood, Jamie

Brennan, Mallory

Lamb, Hampton

McClung, Kerry

McPheron, Britney

O’Neal, Nicole

GENERAL LITIGATION

SUPER LAWYERS

HEALTH CARE

SUPER LAWYERS

STILES EWING POWERS PROUDLY CONGRATULATES

LAWYERS AND RISING STARS HONOREES

Michael S. Ewing* Adam D. Rellick** Alvin A. Lockerman, Jr.*

Lauren K. Grant**

Andrea R. Stiles*

Mollie C. Barton*

Player B. Michelsen*

Mark B. Michelsen*

Robert E. Henley, III*

Charles E. Powers*

Gwen M. Wind** *Selected to

Andrea

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

RISING STARS

Mortier, Nathan

O’Connor, Kaitlyn

von Michalofski, Kendall

INSURANCE COVERAGE

SUPER LAWYERS

Dunn, Lawrence

Rogers, Marissa

PERSONAL INJURY GENERAL: DEFENSE

SUPER LAWYERS

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

Hoyle, Lee

RISING STARS

Downs, Noah

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LITIGATION

SUPER LAWYERS

PERSONAL INJURY GENERAL: PLAINTIFF

SUPER LAWYERS

Alexander, Brooke

RISING STARS

LAND USE/ZONING

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS J.

Craig, Graven

Lucchetti, Andrew

Martin, Kelly

Merrick, John

Walker, Ryan

RISING STARS

Ariail, Casey

Bullock, Howard Gray, Sharif

SHARIF GRAY

RVA PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS

rvatriallawyers.com

Kent, Danielle

La Fratta, Kari

McClellan, Joel

Pitera, Christopher

Speer, Eric

Yakubisin, Christopher

PERSONAL INJURY MEDICAL MALPRACTICE: DEFENSE

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

Ellmauer, Alexandra Warden, Ren

PERSONAL INJURY MEDICAL MALPRACTICE: PLAINTIFF

SUPER LAWYERS

Livingston, Lee

Spinelli, Christopher

PERSONAL INJURY PRODUCTS: DEFENSE

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

Hodge, Jason

PERSONAL INJURY PRODUCTS: PLAINTIFF

SUPER LAWYERS

EMMET D. ALEXANDER

ALEXANDER LAW GROUP, PLC

www.alexanderlawgroupplc.com

REAL ESTATE

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

D’Alessandro, Diana

SUPER LAWYERS

Simopoulos, Nicholas

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

Bailey, Caroline

Donohue, Mayme

SECURITIES LITIGATION

SUPER LAWYERS

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY

SUPER LAWYERS

RISING STARS

TAX

SUPER LAWYERS

Aghdami, Farhad

TECHNOLOGY TRANSACTIONS

SUPER LAWYERS

VIRGINIA RICHMOND 2024

RISING STARS

Austin, Patrick

Edwards, Christina

TRANSPORTATION/MARITIME

SUPER LAWYERS

Childrey, Julia

Pollard, Corey

Roffis, Eva

Reid, Brody

804-415-7800

Renfro, Daniel

Stiner, Elyse

RISING STARS

UTILITIES

RISING STARS

Patterson, Timothy

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

SUPER LAWYERS

Capocelli, Jennifer

Carroll, Lauren

CAROL A. N. BREIT

Taylor, Brooke

DEANNA D. COOK

SORTED ALPHABETICALLY

Frisina, Lisa

Goodwin, Brad

804-415-7800

HAMPTON LAMB LAW OFFICES

JEREMY L. PRYOR ASSOCIATES, PLC

Mexico Restaurant opened Virginia in 1990. Since then, they have grown to have six locations in greater Richmond. They have built their reputation as a family business that provides fresh, Mexican food in a festive and friendly atmosphere.

The Mexico Restaurant family takes great pride in the fresh food that they ser ve their customers They use high quality ingredients in all of their recipes to ensure the customer ’s experience is per fect. Mexico Restaurant values all of their customers and they feel privileged to ser ve the best Mexican food in Richmond for over 34 years.

AIRPORT

Patio open

SHORT PUMP

MECHANICSVILLE

5213 Williamsburg Rd. (804) 226-2388

11621 W. Broad St. the promenade shops across from short pump town center (804) 360-9446

Patio open

ASHLAND

11670 Lakeridge parkway by bass pro (804) 496-6911

Patio open

7162 Mechanicsville Tpk. Banquet & Meeting rooms (804) 559-8126

Patio open

FOREST HILL

7001 Forest Hill Ave. (804) 320-1069

Patio open

WOODLAKE

12031 southshore pointe dr. banquet & meeting rooms (804) 763-5640

Patio open

Serving our Richmond communities since 1990

Gift cards available at all Mexico locations Kroger and

&

EAT DRINK

Edited by EILEEN MELLON

Helen Holmes of Ms. Girlee’s Kitchen

Party with

A friendly face at Laura Lee’s

TAKE YOUR PICK

Family-owned Agriberry Farm carves out a juicy niche

By Eileen Mellon

May is a bountiful month for Hanover County purveyors Agriberry Farm. A delicious sign of the season, their berries are ubiquitous around the region, found on restaurant menus, brewed in local cra beers, baked in desserts, stocked at local grocers and on the spread at your friend’s cookout. e farm’s purple pop-up tents are everywhere from church parking lots to area markets, drawing lines of fruit fanatics in search of clam shells of berries.

In operation for over 15 years, Agriberry is one of a small collective of berry farms in the Richmond region. With its rare fruit-only Community Supported Agriculture business model — where consumers purchase a seasonal share of produce directly from the farm that grows it — Agriberry is aiming to preserve the tradition of fruit farming.

“We’re a multigenerational fruit farming family,” Pierson Geyer says. “My parents started farming fruit in Westmoreland County in the mid ’80s, and they’ve been farming fruit since. ere’s a pic of me in e Washington Post, and I’m in a backpack carriage thing, just a happy baby with them out in the field; I’ve been in the field my whole life.”

Geyer is currently in a five-year succession plan to take over full ownership of Agriberry from his parents by 2025. His mother, Anne, grew up in the Finger Lakes region of New York and spent summers picking and eating wild black raspberries, while his dad, Chuck, was raised on a dairy farm in upstate New York. e duo met while working at the University of Maryland’s Horticultural Research Farm on a USDA berry production study. Tasked with growing raspberries, they were o ered a chance to farm a 60-acre riverfront property with the goal

of becoming a profitable berry farm.

“ ey were given the opportunity to succeed,” Geyer says.

In 2008, the Geyers relocated to Hanover and planted their first local seeds. Since then, they have established themselves as a premier purveyor. eir 25-acre property on River Road is lined with strawberry beds; blueberry bushes; finicky, tender, yet well worth it raspberries; and nectarine and plum trees. They’ve harvested white and donut peaches, Japanese-style plums, several varieties of apples, and concord and muscadine grapes, and there are even whispers of paw paws in the future.

Fruit from the farm rarely goes to waste. In an on-site kitchen, bruised produce is recycled into jars of applesauce, jams and preserves, along with oat bars. Geyer’s sister, Colleen, the owner of River City Bakery, also uses the space as her production kitchen.

Agriberry has honed a unique and successful hybrid style of cultivation. Beyond harvesting on their own property, they collaborate with a network of nearby partner farms, primarily Chesterfield Berry Farm, to supply CSA customers.

In 2023, Agriberry Farm grew 360,846 servings of strawberries, 8,106 servings of blueberries, 102,438 servings of raspberries and 184,426 servings of blackberries

Find Agriberry Farm at the Farmers Market at St. Stephen’s, Birdhouse Farmers Market, Lakeside Farmers’ Market and more.

“We are dedicated to growing what we sell even if we don’t grow all of what we sell,” Juniper Runion, membership and community engagement coordinator for Agriberry, says. “ at is a pre y unconventional and mutually beneficial partnership that we have going on; there’s labor sharing and land sharing and costs of plant and planting. We know the farms we go to, and we drive straight to them.”

For Agriberry, the vision is to create a thriving local fruit ecosystem. “In terms of how many servings of fruit we’ve go en into the Richmond area, that’s how we’re looking to measure our impact as a company and as a farm,” Runion says. “ e average American does not get their recommended two cups of fruit a day, and we’re like, ‘Let’s get it.’”

During the slower months, Agriberry relies on its CSA proceeds to provide steady revenue until harvest season. ey currently have 650 CSA members in the Richmond area.

“We need that to support full-time workers, and that’s an evolution over the past five years,” Geyer says. “I have been

AGRIBERRY AROUND TOWN

Olivia Wilson, baker Olive oil chiffon cake with strawberries and rhubarb

Hem and Her pop-up Strawberry and kampot pepper tart with pandan cream

River City Bakery

Very Berry or strawberry cream pie

The Roosevelt Benne cake with strawberries

Alewife

Manakintowne greens salad with strawberry-shiso vinaigrette

Hardywood Park Cra Brewery

Virginia Blackberry, a Belgian-style white ale brewed with blackberries

Soss Reaper’s Blush hot sauce

8 1/2 Church Hill

Focaccia with peaches and prosciutto

working to create a more full-time work paradigm for the sta .”

A Virginia Commonwealth University graduate with a master’s degree in education, Geyer’s background aligns organically with the farm’s mission of spreading knowledge. Agriberry works with area high schools and colleges to host student workers and help connect them with local food systems. In addition, they organize an average of 1,000 free educational tours a year.

“That’s a big part of what my mom wanted to do, not only provide fruit to the Richmond area, but exposure to agriculture, for the next generation to learn about fruit farming,” Geyer says.

“That plays into why I wanted to be involved so professionally with fruit farming. I knew the knowledge my parents had from over 30 years was specialized, it was unique, it was powerful, it was beneficial, and I wanted to continue to steward that knowledge,” Geyer adds. “Agriberry will be here for at least another five years, and this is my main thing now. I have no plans on doing anything else.” R

A worker picking strawberries at Agriberry Farm

Best Bites

Dishes we can’t stop dreaming about

SIGNATURE GRILLED CHEESE

$10, Truckle Cheesemongers, 714 N. Sheppard St. I trust the cheese mongers at Truckle with the same unquestioning faith usually reserved for close family members and lifelong friends. This humble yet incredible sandwich is what built that trust. Prominently featuring Shelburne Farms cheddar (aged for two years), it’s accompanied by lemon-tarragon mayo and grilled to buttery, crispy perfection. —Kevin

Johnson

REMEMBER THAT PLACE?

THE

TAMALES

$4.25 each, La Doña Cocina Mexicana Restaurant, 6404 Horsepen Road A weekend-only offering, the tamales at this bright and friendly family-owned restaurant are the creations of chef and co-owner Paty Bahena, originally of Guerrero, Mexico. Banana leaves are caked with layers of masa and laden with pulled chicken or pork in homey red or green sauces.

—Eileen Mellon

MACARONI BOWL

$12, Fuzzy Cactus, 221 W. Brookland Park Blvd.

The first question people normally ask about my pregnancy is what food I’m craving. My answer: mac and cheese. To the rescue is my North Side neighborhood spot Fuzzy Cactus. Their macaroni bowl with cheddar jack, cotija, and scallions (with a fried chicken add-on) has been a gooey godsend when latenight cravings hit. —Rachel

Lee

EVENT PICKS

Food festival season kicks o with a celebration of Hispanic and Latin American cultures on May 4 at Brown’s Island. In its 23rd year, QUE PASA FESTIVAL’s lineup includes Abuelita’s, Latin Quarter RVA, Taqueria Panchito, E-Loteria and El Chido.

The LEBANESE FOOD FESTIVAL returns to to the St. Anthony Maronite Church May 17-19. A falafel-filled Richmond ritual since 1984, preparation begins almost nine months in advance for the multi-day feast.

Hot and new can steal the spotlight, but what about longstanding local favorites? Each month, we’ll visit a Richmond-area restaurant that has been in business 15 years or longer.

Keeping the legend of the neighborhood restaurant alive, The Hill Cafe has been holding it down at the corner of Broad and N. 28th streets since 1989.

The business and building were purchased from the original owner in 2000 by Richmond Restaurant Group’s Jared Golden, Michelle Williams and Ted Wallof.

“It’s small, it’s cozy; you don’t always find that. It has Richmond charm,” Golden says.

Inside, there are snug, dimly lit booths and a chalkboard listing daily specials. Regulars roll up for comforting blue plates of fried chicken and meatloaf with gravy. During lunch, City Hall workers come for California Clubs, burgers and Brussels sprouts.

Best equated as the “Cheers” of Church Hill, its easygoing, everybody-is-welcome charm has attracted not only loyal regulars, but longtime sta . “There’s something great about having a spot that is approachable and not too expensive and that you can go to every day, and I think a lot of it has been the sta ng,” Golden says.

Listing o tenured employees who have been clocking in for a decade, Golden also credits monumental manager and bartender Staples Macdonald, a 24-year Hill Cafe authority. “That’s one of the few restaurants we have where everyone works like a team, they’re all just professional,” Golden says. —Eileen Mellon

AROUND TOWN

HILL CAFE

HELEN HOLMES

The owner and friendly force behind East End comfort joint Ms. Girlee’s Kitchen

By Stephanie Ganz

BACK IN THE DAY

“I raised my kids in the Fulton area and I used to bring them to the same building where Ms. Girlee’s is located. It was a Chinese restaurant; best Chinese food in the city.”

ALL FOR MOM

“We all visit my mom on Mother’s Day, all the kids and grandchildren. Everybody typically brings a dish so she doesn’t have to cook. There’s always friedchicken.”

THE OG GIRLEE

“Ms. Girlee was my grandmother. As a kid, we didn’t have much, but my grandma would always find this awesome meal for us. It looked like we had no food in the house, but when it came time to eat, I swear we thought she was a magician or something.”

CONSTANT CRAVINGS

“Customers cannot get enough of our fried chicken or our signature dessert: bread pudding with brandy butter. They also love our seafoodcombo — crab cake, fried shrimp and fish, and hush puppies made with shrimp.”

COUNTRY KITCHEN

“I currently have over 2,000 songs on my [personal] playlist. I love country music like ChrisStapleton and Kane Brown. I try to sing every song that comes on the playlist, even though I couldn’t carry a tune if it had handles.”

MADE IN THE SHADE

“My ideal day off: sit out on the deck with my husband, prop my feet up, and just enjoy the outdoors. For a night out, I head to Lillie Pearl or any of the Lindsey Food Group restaurants.”

May Is...

NATIONAL PET MONTH

Dogma

Dogma Grooming & Pet Needs wants to thank the Richmond Community for your continued support of our one of a kind, truly local, small business. Join us as we celebrate National Pet Month! Come check out the variety of unique and planet-positive products that have been hand picked by our staff. Our knowledgeable and pet-obsessed team will help you find the right food, treats and toys for your furry friends. Our pack is proud of providing “What’s Best For Your Pet” for 25 years! Thank you, Richmond!  dogmagrooming.com

Holiday Barn

When you choose Holiday Barn Pet Resorts for dog boarding or cat boarding, you can relax knowing that your pet is in good hands. Luxurious accommodations, friendly service and fun activities will have you wondering if your pet’s vacation will be better than your own! Our dog trainers are ready to help you and your dog achieve a new level of trust and understanding. Our full-service grooming shops offer style, comfort and a customized approach based on your dog’s coat. Our popular dog day care program embraces the most up-to-date safety protocols in the industry to help ensure that dogs have fun with their friends. holidaybarn.com

NATIONAL DENTAL HEALTH MONTH

Virginia Family Dentistry

Virginia Family Dentistry has been providing dental care to the Richmond area for 46 years. Our doctor-owned practice includes 15 locations and 60 general dentists and dental specialists. Virginia Family Dentistry dental specialists include orthodontists, periodontists, prosthodontists, endodontists and pediatric dentists. We’ve grown throughout the years to accommodate the needs of our patients. Virginia Family Dentistry aims to provide lifelong patients with the most comprehensive dental care possible — all in one practice. We’re a family of more than 400 dental professionals and staff members who serve generations of entire families throughout Central Virginia. It’s as simple as that. Visit vadentist.com.

Grove Avenue Family & Cosmetic Dentistry

Why is oral health so important?Oral health is an indication of your overall health. Many years ago, oral health was considered seperate from cardiovascular health, endocrine health, and your health during pregnancy. Today, after many years of extensive research, we understand that the oral cavity is just one part of the overall picture of your health. Today, a visit to your dentist will include a detailed medical history, evaluation of your blood pressure, and cancer screening. We are often asked, “Is all this necessary?” And the answer is YES! No longer are we just looking at your teeth and gum tissue because we now know that what we learn from the mouth can tell us so much more about you. For more facts about oral health log onto our website at Grovesmiles.com or call us to set up a new patient appointment at 804-285-1378.

BOLDLY BRIGHT

Longtime server Ryan Harris is a familiar face of RVAdine

By Stephanie Ganz

Laura Lee’s regulars (and Secco Wine Bar regulars before that) will instantly recognize the rainbow hair and impish smile of Ryan Harris, a Chesterfield native who has spent the last decade working in area restaurants. Whether you spot him pouring drinks, roller skating or walking his dogs around his Near West End neighborhood, you can reliably expect the 28-year-old server to light up your day.

Richmond magazine: Tell us a bit about your background. How did you get started working in restaurants?

Ryan Harris: I grew up in North Chesterfield, right outside of Richmond. I went to Lloyd C. Bird High School, where I did almost all the performance arts offered to me. I moved to the city after graduating high school in 2013, and that’s when I started my first service industry job.

RM: What were some of your first jobs?

Harris: I worked at The Tobacco Company

for a couple of years as a server. Working there definitely taught me a lot of fine dining service points that I still use today. It also helped me realize what parts of that environment weren’t for me (like wearing full tuxedos at the time that I worked there). By the time the infamous fire happened at Tobacco Company (in 2017), I had already started working once a week at Secco, so switching over to full-time there was quite easy.

RM: What was your experience like at Secco?

Harris: Secco, owned by Julia Battaglini and Dave

What I like about the service industry is that there isn’t really a ‘typical shi .’”

—Ryan Harris of Laura Lee’s

Martin, was such a treat to get to work at. It had such a good balance of serving top quality food and drinks, while keeping the vibes very approachable and fun. I know the restaurant family motif is a little cheesy, but this one really was a tightknit little family. This place taught me extensively about wine and was also where I learned how to bartend. After Secco closed in 2022, I made the easy jump over to Laura Lee’s.

RM: Tell us about your role at Laura Lee’s. Harris: Currently, I both serve and bartend. What I like about the service industry is that there isn’t really a “typical shift.” Some days I’m helping Seonaigh [Westhassel], the amazing bar manager, with cocktail ideas, and some days I’m serving a full section on our beautiful patio.

RM: How do you like to spend your free time? Harris: I spend a big portion of my time with my partner, Sean, and our two 70-pound hound dogs, Rascal and Brodie. Some other hobbies you might catch me doing include taking ballet/dance classes at TAOU studio, roller skating, playing Dungeons & Dragons, going to drag shows or playing video games at home. I’m also a big foodie, so you may run into me at your favorite Richmond restaurants.

RM: Let’s hear about your amazing tattoos. Harris: I’ve been getting tattooed since I was 19. I started by going to Kim [Graziano] (@bunnymachine), who has since become the owner of Black Rabbit. Kim did my Studio Ghibli nature half sleeve, as well as my Princess Peach and my “Adventure Time” thigh piece. I’m a bit of a nerd, if you can’t tell already. I’ve gotten tattooed by some other lovely ladies since then, including Tannis [Almond] (@tannistattoos), who did my over the garden wall tattoo, and Dana [Carlson] (@dana.does.tattoos), who did my most recent floral sleeve where there are lots of cute critters and fruits blended in with the flowers. I love that I’ve only had women/femme people tattoo me, and it’s something I’ll look to continue doing in my life. R

Ryan Harris, server and bartender at Laura Lee’s

May Is...

MAY 12 TH IS MOTHER’S DAY

GlassBoat

GlassBoat is Richmond’s premiere boutique located in the heart of Carytown. We offer something fantastic for everyone. Local talent is on display with jewelry, textiles and paintings. Our unique women’s clothing, furniture, books, bath products and decorative items are truly unique and the “best of the best” quality. We offer exceptional customer service because, without you, we wouldn’t be Richmond’s favorite boutique. Come see what’s meant to be yours! glassboat.com

NATIONAL BLADDER CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Virginia Urology

Bladder cancer affects anyone at any age; however, most are over 50.  Bladder cancer signs and symptoms may include blood in urine, painful urination, back pain or chronic UTIs. The main risk factors are smoking and other tobacco use, chronic bladder inflammation, exposure to chemicals, especially at work and being male. People without these risk factors have also been diagnosed, so when in doubt get checked. Virginia Urology has been diagnosing and treating bladder cancer since 1928. We offer patients the latest in diagnostics and treatments in our offices or ambulatory surgery center.  804-330-9105 or uro.com

NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH

Children’s Home Society of Virginia (CHSVA)

CHSVA appreciates the dedication of child welfare professionals and thanks foster parents, volunteers and policymakers. With over 5,000 children and youth in Virginia’s Foster Care, CHSVA is dedicated to finding permanent homes for the 700+ awaiting adoption. Through adoption, children and older youth gain a vital support system, stability, lasting connections and positive role models for healthy relationships. CHSVA provides training to our families on trauma and its effects on development and behavior, supporting them through challenges like mental health and reactive attachment. We believe every child deserves a home. Learn about adopting from foster care at chsva.org .

GET CAKED

Pound cake conjures memories of Sunday cookouts and springtime celebrations

By Genevelyn Steele

1

Strawberry Gimme Cup

$4.59, Gimme Pound Cakes

Baker Kimberly Fox-Knight delivers slices, half-cakes and Gimme Cups twice a week to The Market at 25th in Union Hill. Her take on a cake jar, portable strawberry Gimme Cups smother dense cake cubes with fresh strawberries, oozy strawberry drizzle and whipped cream.

e Conductor

2

5-Flavor Pound Cake

$2.95 per slice, Cakes Too!

The snug patio of Bon Air’s Front Porch Cakes & Eatery serves boxed lunches — a slice of thick pound cake included. But, if it’s a dessertonly day, head a few doors down to sister bakery, Cakes Too!, where 21 types of pound cake await. A Southern specialty, 5-Flavor pound cake is a classic combination of coconut, lemon, almond and vanilla extracts with plenty of butter.

3

Fried Pound Cake

$5 per slice, SweetnPurdy Bake Shop

Catch Purdy popping up at Kat’s Breakfast & Lunch downtown or aboard the cake bus parked at Chesterfield’s Magnolia Green. This hit from Purdy’s online bakery features fried slabs of vanilla pound cake lashed with buttery grill marks; its cratered surface resembles Texas toast.

4

Chocolate Pound Cake

$4 per slice, Big Herm’s Kitchen

Since the pandemic, Big Herm’s has been operating out of Nomad’s Deli, but one thing that hasn’t changed are their luscious chocolate cake slices. Make sure to order online before heading to North Side for pickup.

5

French Toast Pound Cake

$45-$55, A Taste of Heaven Catering

Taste of Heaven specializes in immoderate pound cakes. Choose from vintage options such as sour cream or red velvet, or party pound cakes like strawberry cheesecake or rum-infused key lime. Most decadent of all is the French toast-inspired version, which dunks slices of pound cake in cinnamon, egg and cream before caramelizing it into a custardy breakfast-dessert twofer.

IF YOU KNOW Patrick Henry’s Pub & Grille, then — for several reasons — you probably know James Menefee. No. 1: He’s always there, behind the bar (or making rounds through the basement tables). No. 2: He knows everyone. Maybe a friend introduced you one night, or maybe he came up and did it himself, because he does that. And No. 3: He’s been in (and started) some of the most exhilarating punk bands in the city (Fun Size, Long Arms, and River City High).

Richmond magazine: What’s the most important thing to get right as a bartender?

James Menefee: It’s so important to make someone feel welcome, and to do it genuinely. Whether it’s just shooting the breeze, remembering someone’s drink, or picking up a conversation that you had to pause because you had to serve some food,

I always feel that putting the focus on a guest or customer is what you are there to do.

RM: How did you get into this work? Menefee: Before Patrick Henry opened, it was called Acapella. My friend Mike Sorvino was bar manager. I was spending a lot of time touring and when the tours were a little less frequent, I needed a job with similar vibes and hours. I told Sorvino I would be working at Acapella, despite the fact I had never bartended and he wasn’t hiring. I would go in on his shifts and sit there for 10 hours and watch him work, and one day someone didn’t show up and he called me in. I’ve been working in that damn building since.

RM: What is your favorite part of the job?

Menefee: Providing a space and an

environment for people to interact, to gather, to laugh, and to just relax and enjoy themselves. I’ve seen first dates that eventually blossom into marriage, and I’ve seen total strangers sit on opposite sides of the bar that I knew would get along, that I introduced to each other, and many years later they are still best friends.

RM: What’s the essence of Patrick Henry’s Pub to you?

Menefee: It is a room without pretense. It’s a great leveler. Folks of all ages can come in and feel comfortable being there. We don’t cater to one crowd, and we don’t cater to one element. The room screams vibe, and therefore it molds everyone into a more relaxed and friendly version of themselves. Partly because it’s in the middle of a neighborhood, and partly because it is the basement of a house from 1850. —Bird Cox

James Menefee at Patrick Henry’s Pub & Grille

Essential RVA Microgreens

HISTORY: Essential RVA Microgreens owner Justin Upshaw says that the focus of his company is “community engagement and improving health and nutritional availability of fresh foods.” He strives to end food deserts across the Metro Richmond area by producing nourishing blends of sprouted herbs and vegetables called microgreens and donating them to local food pantries. He also sells at farmer’s markets where, upon purchase, he snips the greens directly from their pots to ensure peak nutrients for customers.

SPECIALTIES: Microgreens are highly nutritious, and Upshaw aims for a potent vitamin and sulforaphane combination in his signature RVA Essential Blend, which includes young versions of broccoli, sunflower, radish and mustard. He also sells other varieties including spicy microgreens, wheatgrass, and a powdered form meant for smoothies.

PRODUCTION: Upshaw plants the microgreens in organic soil and grows them in a dehumidified room, which allows him to create a controlled and stable environment.

BUY: Essential RVA’s microgreens can be purchased at Farmers Market at St. Stephen’s, Birdhouse Farmer’s Market, Lakeside Farmer’s Market, Bon Air Farmers Market, and Twisted Carrot Farm and Market. —Gray Pershing

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‘A Hub of Food and Fun’

The Latino Farmers Market debuts in Chesterfield

This year, America DeLoach, founder of Richmond-based business Salsas Don Sebastian, was preparing to take a step back from her company a er partnering with a co-packer. In business for nearly a decade and with her products in 140 stores, the entrepreneur, originally from Venezuela, was looking to spend more time with family.

But when she heard other local Latino entrepreneurs were struggling to break into markets, she took the helm of another project. “I said, ‘We’re going to create our own Latino market,’” DeLoach says.

Months prior, Chesterfield County Administrator Joseph P. Casey and Clover Hill District Supervisor Jessica Schneider had visited DeLoach’s production space. When they le , they gave her

their business cards, and when she began hatching a plan for the market, DeLoach knew exactly whom to contact.

“When I met with her, she told me of her vision of a Latino farmers market, to feature the products and flavors of the diverse Latino and Hispanic communities of Chesterfield and the region. ... All she needed was a location,” Schneider says. “I was 100% on board, especially given that she was so passionate about it, and she totally lit up as she told me about it. ... Her vibrant enthusiasm is infectious.”

e Latino Farmers Market debuted on April 6 at Rockwood Park, 3401 Courthouse Road in North Chesterfield. Founded on the mission of presenting a space for the Latin community to vend, shop and flourish, the market runs from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays through Nov. 2.

Initial vendors include

BY EILEEN MELLON

Barham Seafood, family-owned Empanadas Market, food trucks Happy Arepas and Latin Quarter, beverage business Loquito Coquito, dessert shop Los Dulces de Tia Maria, Taqueria El Gordito’s, Tizana and purveyors Penn Farm/Nora’s Produce and Walnut Hill Farm.

Assisting DeLoach in the process is Market Manager Deborah Powlini, also a native of Venezuela.

“Our goal is to help our community. Our goal is to help our people, no ma er what,” DeLoach says. “It’s fair, and we give opportunities. I think the market is going to keep growing; every day we get more people that want to sign up.”

e market can accommodate 75 vendors, and over half of the slots are currently filled. It is not exclusive to Latino businesses, DeLoach adds, but 60% of vendors at the market are Latino-owned. She says her goal is to host cooking demos, live music or experience-based entertainment each weekend.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Chesterfield has the largest Latino/Hispanic population in the Richmond region, at 11.4%. “Over there from Hull Street to the le side, it’s Latino,” DeLoach says.

“Mainly, my vision is to help our Latino entrepreneurs who are under the rocks, sometimes scared or uninformed, or they

“Our goal is to help our community. Our goal is to help our people, no ma er what.”

—America DeLoach

(From left) Latino Farmers Market manager Deborah Powlini and founder America DeLoach

EDUCATION

BENEDICTINE SCHOOLS

Summer Athletic Camps

Learn from experienced high school coaches, gain con dence, take advantage of new stateof-the-art athletic facilities and have fun on our sprawling 75-acre campus this summer! We o er boys’ basketball, football and wrestling, and girls’ basketball, volleyball and so ball. Plus, a new strength and conditioning camp for both boys and girls. All experience levels are welcome to join us for an unforgettable experience! benedictineschools.org

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT HUGUENOT SCHOOL

We invite you to visit the school website for in-formation about the transformational growth and renovations now underway on the BSH campus. Click on our virtual school tour to explore our spacious 40-acre outdoor campus and learn about our values-based college-prep

curriculum, which celebrates individuals and challenges academic in-tellect. All faiths welcome. Come see for yourself how we’ve grown nearly 50% in the last 5 years. Our Admissions Team is ready to connect and share more. We can’t wait to meet you. is is your school. Explore: bshknights.org or contact: admissions@bshknights.org, 804-598-4211

FORK UNION MILITARY ACADEMY

Sports camps and family fun events have long been a summer staple on the campus of Fork Union Military Academy—and this summer is no di erent! e popular Football Strength and Speed Camp comes in June, followed by a family favorite, Father-Son Weekend, which gives boys and their fathers (or other signi cant man in their lives) a special opportunity for bonding and fun. In July, enjoy the 39th Annual Basketball School. Learn more at bluedevilscamps.com.

TRINITY EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

e strength of Trinity is community. Mutual respect and appreciation of individuality unite our student body, allowing everyone to belong. Students have freedom to pursue their passions within a safe, dynamic educa-tional environment. ey are challenged through robust academics, wide-ranging ne and performing arts, and competitive athletic teams. Clubs, community engage-ment, weekly chapels and the outdoor program grow the mind, body and spirit. With care and support from teachers, coaches, parents and peers, Trinity Titans learn to be part of something bigger than themselves and discover their path. Co-educational in grades 8-12, Trinity is home to Richmond’s only independent-school IB Diploma Programme. trinityes.org

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND School of Professional and Continuing Studies

e School of Professional and Continuing Studies (SPCS) at the University of Richmond provides undergraduate and graduate programs for career-minded adult students. Whether you attend classes in person or online, you’ll experience a deep focus on students, an integration of theory and professional practical, small classes and a ordable tuition. We o er degrees in Teaching, Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, Human Resource Management, Liberal Arts, Nonpro t Studies, Paralegal Studies, IT Management, Information Security and Data Analytics. If you’re interested in upskilling or reskilling, you’ll nd noncredit professional education programs in nonpro t management, geographic information systems, brewing education, digital marketing, political campaign management, and more. SPCS also o ers technology boot camps in coding, cybersecurity, and data analytics. For more information visit spcs.richmond.edu.

don’t know how to vend because they don’t know the process, but they have amazing products or amazing food,” she says. “Sometimes it is so easy, but in their head it’s like, ‘No, I would never be able to, forget it.’”

DeLoach understands that uncertainty and the hustle it takes to overcome it. She moved to the Richmond region almost two decades ago, teaching Spanish for nearly 15 years at elementary schools including Fox and Broad Rock. Outside the classroom, she experimented with making salsas at home, using a century-old recipe from her husband’s grandmother. e positive feedback she received in response to the jars of homemade salsa she gi ed to friends encouraged DeLoach to found Salsas Don Sebastian.

DeLoach’s success has unlocked a desire to push others to tap into their potential. Having lived through the small-business journey as an immigrant, she feels she has something to o er and that it is her calling. “Just go ahead and jump and do it, and you’ll see how your fearless ancestors come from nowhere and say, ‘ is is what you need to do, figure this out,’” she says.

In 2016, DeLoach commi ed herself fully to the business, securing a facility

where she employs a core team of women. She has since expanded her lineup to include a creamy, zippy jalapeno dip; pickled onions; pico de gallo; and frozen items such as pinto beans and tamales. She also distributes salsa by the gallon to Virginia universities including William & Mary, James Madison, and the University of Virginia.

She hopes that sentiment will inspire her fellow entrepreneurs at the Latino Farmers Market. “ is is going to be a hub of food and fun,” DeLoach says. “We are now focused on expanding our vendor list and reaching deeper into our Latino community. It’s our way of creating a welcoming space where everyone can thrive without fear of discrimination.” R

March 16 – September 2, 2024

Presented by

from Julia Child: A Recipe for Life was developed by Flying Fish and Napa Valley Museum, supported by The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, Schlesinger Library, Harvard Radcli e Institute and Oceania Cruises.

Cultural performance during the Latino Farmers Market

WorldofMirth.1\2h.1113.indd 1 10/18/13 2:22 PM

AS THE SUN AND MOON came together on April 8 for a rare celestial meeting, so, too, did hundreds of people outside the Science Museum of Virginia.

While many relaxed on blankets and chairs on The Green, a park-like space that wasn’t there for the solar eclipse in 2017, what garnered the most attention and the longest lines were the telescopes owned by members of the Richmond Astronomical Society.

Another solar eclipse won’t be visible from the contiguous United States until Aug. 23, 2044. One 8-year-old Richmonder, Ellis Hickman, who was watching with his grandparents, called it a “one in a million” event. “There’s a chance we’ll be alive at the next eclipse, but we’ll be quite, quite old,” said his grandmother Beth Morrison. “Or,” added his grandfather Scott, “we could chase the eclipse and try and see it somewhere else in the world.”

See more photos

instagram.com/richmondmag.

One of those volunteers, Allan Noah, assembled a so-called “SunGun” for the 2017 eclipse viewing at the museum, allowing multiple people to see a projection of the sun and requiring only minor adjustments based on the Earth’s rotation. "It has been in the attic of my garage for seven years, waiting for this day,” Noah said, “so it rises again.”

While Richmond didn’t see a total solar eclipse, the decision to come to the museum event was an obvious one for Noah. “I could’ve gotten in a car and driven, and I could be enjoying this by myself in Ohio (or) Maine. But I’ve got to do this,” he said, acknowledging the crowd gazing in wonder before him. —Mark

Newton

taken around Richmond at

Allan Noah of the Richmond Astronomical Society points out sunspots on his SunGun telescope to solar eclipse viewers on April 8 at the Science Museum of Virginia.

Find it all at Kings Dominion. From 12 thrilling coasters, to the all-inclusive Soak City waterpark, to a Planet Snoopy kids’ area featuring 20 rides, Kings Dominion is Virginia’s can’t-miss destination for family-friendly fun. Visit KingsDominion.com for park hours and tickets.